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REPORT 



OF 



AN EXPEDITION 



TO 



iw 



IN THE 



Territory of Alaska, 

IN 

THE YEAR 1885, 

"FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING ALL INFORMATION WHICH WILL 

BE VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY TO THE 

MILITARY BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT." 

MADE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 

General NELSON A. MILES, Commanding the Department of the Columbia, 

BY 

LIEUT. HENRY T. ALLEN, 
Second United States Cavalry. 



WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT P I(lNTlNU*Or?JCE, 
1887. 



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SEP IS iyu6 
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CONTENTS. 



CORRESPONDENCE AND INTRODUCTION. 

Page. 
Correspondence , 9 

Letter of the Secretary of War transmitting report to the United States 
Senate — Special Orders No. 16, authorizing the expedition — Let- 
ter of instructions — Letter of Lientenant Allen transmitting 
his report to the Adjutant-General of the Array. 
Introduction 15 

Part I.— HISTORICAL. 

Copper River , 19 

Previous knowledge of — Nuchek — Inaccuracy of early maps — Site of 
odindtschka — River discovered in 1781 — Expeditions up — Sere- 
berinikoff, 1848 — His farthest north — Itinerary — Mouth of Tez- 
lina River — Lake Plaveznie — Translation of narrative — Massa- 
cres of Russians — Coast pilot — Inaccuracies — No whites on Chit- 
tyna River — Mr. Holt on Copper River, 1882 — Lieutenant Aber- 
crombie, 1884 — Extract from his report — John Bremner. 

Tanana River 24 

History easily summed — Extract from Raymond — Extract from Dall — 
Reason for erection of post — Murder of Mrs. Bean — Its result — 
Rev. Mr. Simms on Tanana, 1882 — Miners on same — Extracts 
from Schwatka — Information from Mr. Harper — Conclusion. 

Koyukuk River 26 

Saint Michael's Island (Cape Stephens) — Initial point of expeditions — 
That of Glasanoff — Lieutenant Rosenberg — Malakoff — Others — 
Lieutenant Zagoskin — Ascends Koyukuk, 1843 — Extract from 
" History of Alaska" — Comment — Dall's description — Western 
Union Telegraph expedition — Fur traders — River according uo 
Raymond and Schwatka. 

Part II.— NARRATIVE. 

Portland, Oregon, to Nuchek, Alaska 31 

Start for Sitka, January 29, 1885— Points touched en route— Pur- 
chases—Arrival at Sitka— No transportation to Nuchek— 
Agreement with Leo — Difficulties — Report to headquarters — 
Preparations — Return of Idaho — Orders to Pin tit — Nuchek, 
March 19 — The town — Copper River natives — Inaccuracy of 
statements of natives — Arrangements for ascent of Copper 
River — More difficulties — Obedience of natives to trader — Char- 
acter of transportation — Employment of Johnson. 

3 



/ 



6 CONTENTS. 

Page. 
NUKLUKYET TO NlTLATO AND RETURN 89 

R iting watch — Run of salmon, July 4 — An apology — Start for 
steamboats — Pass the Melozikakat River — Nowikakat River — 
Frequent settlements — The Nulatoes — "New Racket" and 
"Yukon" — Alaska Commercial Company — Traders — Stations 
abandoned — Demoosky and Antoosky — Trouble in the future- 
Scurvy — Employment of natives. 

KoYUKUK River t ..... . 93 

Niikliikyet to Konootend River : 

Usual difficulties — Disposition made of party — Routes — Our choice 
and departure — Mosquitoes — Sand flies — The trail — A fog — 
Quartz— Melozikakat and Tozikakat Rivers— Timber— Swamps— 
Trailing by natives — Tozikakat trail reached — Our longest 
march — Height of Yukon Hills — Lake Tatatontly — Our " wicky- 
up " — Konootena River, August 3, 1885 — Distance — Barefooted. 

Konootend to Pickett River : 

The Koyukuk — Canoes and their propulsion — Changes in stage 
of water — Allenkakat River — Untlatlotly — Holoatna River — 
Mammoth bone — Cache — Mount Cone — Nohoolchintna tribu- 
taries — Dogs disposed of — Moore Island— Snow-capped mount- 
ains — Beck's Hills — Graves — Ascheeshna or Fickett River — 
Highest point of Koyukuk — Latitude 67° 16'. 

Fickett River to HuggirCs Island : 

Mount Lookout — Courses — Koyukuk and Fickett River as seen from 
it — A Mahlemute— A mother and child — Konootena again — 
Waite's Island — Red Mount — Water fowls— Huggin's Island — 
x Batzakakat. 

Huggin's Island to Koteelkdkat River : 

An encampment — Ice banks — Hogatzakakat River — Quartz veins — 
Mahlemute family — Treat's Island — Dakliakakat River — Route 
for shipwrecked whalers — Pyramidal peak, August 16 — Camp 
of seventeen souls — McQuisten Island — Hussliakakat River — 
Cawtaskakat River — Doggetlooskat River — Red Shirt's vil- 
lage — Colwell Bend — West's Island. 

Koteelkdkat to Niddto : 

River — Station — Zagoskin's farthest north — Nulato Bend — Coal 
beds — Koyukuk Mount — Yukon Island — Steamboat had passed 
down — Stratification — Nulato. 

Nulato to Saint Michael's 109 

Preparations for running down the Yukon — Start — Dandy, the 
murderer — Khaltat's (Khaltag's) village — Returning messen- 
ger — Conspiracy among natives — Autokakat River — Begin the 
portage — The trail — The sea sighted — Ulukuk — Catamaran — 
Native village — Tub of berries — Two villages — Unalaklik — A 
baidarra, August 29 — Start for Saint Michael's — On board for 
San Francisco, September 5 — Mr. Lorentz. 



CONTENTS, 



Part III.— MAPS AND TABLES OF DISTANCES. 

Page. 

Maps H? 

Previous — Accompanying — Inaccuracy — Polyconic projections — Cen- 
tral meridian — Longitude — Limits of Copper, Tanana, and 
Koyukuk Rivers— Volumes— Charts III and IV— General Chart- 
work of Lieutenant Cantwell and Assistant Engineer McLen- 
egan. 

Tables 120 

Table of distances of the Copper and Chittyna Rivers— Table of dis- 
tances of Tanana River — Table of distances of Koyukuk River — 
Table of distances along the Yukon River and the summer 
route to Saint Michael's. 

Part IV.— NATIVES, 

Atnatanas 127 

General description — Number of children — Condition of teeth — 
Ages — Sagacity — Tribal names — Number seen — Nicolai — Lie- 
bigstag — Conaguanta — Batzulneta — History — Excavations — 
Territory — Vegetable products — Animal foods — Drink — Medi- 
cines — Houses, summer, winter, and bath — Luxuries — Cook- 
ing utensils — Clothing — Ornamentation — Hair — Unit of meas- 
urement — Medium of exchange — Bows and arrows— Their man- 
ufacture — Fire-arms — Building tools — Transportation — Dogs — 
Songs — Dances — Language — Vocabulary — Apache numerals — 
Marriage and wives — Social organization — Tyones — Shamans — 
Skillies — Vassals — Graves. 

Tananatanas 136 

Change of characteristics — Designation of — Differences of lan- 
guage — Tinneh family — Number — Facilities for trading — Ab- 
sence of salmon — Game fences — Bead-work — Dissimilarity of 
language and customs — Ability as traders— Comparative immu- 
nity — Possible military operations — Pack animals — Strategic 
position. 

XOYUKUNS 140 

Tribal names — Villages — Language — Appearance — Character — 
Number— Food— Arms— Routes for their traffic— Their educa- 
tion — Destitution. 

Or.iER Natives 142 

[ngaliks or Kaiyu-Khotana— Scarcity of caribou— Poverty-stricken— 
Thirteen hundred— Unakhotanas— Shamans— Incantations — 
Mr. Simms— Industrial education— Recommendations— Na- 
tives above NukJukyet— Eskimos or Innuits— Mr. Petroff's re- 
port — Captain ITealy's observations— Numbers — Characteris- 
tic appearance— Picture— Other natives. 



8 CONTENTS* 



Part V.— OBSERVATIONS 

Page. 

Observations on some of the Animals of Alaska < . , 149 

Geological Observations • 155 

Volcanic Action . . , . t » 155 

Glacial and Diluvial Deposits » 156 

Minerals 4 153 

Part VI.— METEOROLOGICAL. 

Report 163 

Abstract of Journal 167 

Tables v 167 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



LETTER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR. 

War Department, 
Washington City, May 6, 1886. 
The Secretary of War has the honor to transmit to the United 
States Senate the official report of Lieut. Henry T. Allen, Second 
Cavalry, of his exploration of the Copper, Tanana. and Koyukuk 
Rivers of Alaska, in the year 1885, with accompanying maps, pho- 
tographs, and drawings thereof, the same being transmitted in re- 
sponse to Senate resolution of the 16th ultimo, as follows: 

Resolved, That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby, directed to transmit to 
the Senate the official report of Lieut. Henry T. Allen, Second United States Cav- 
alry, of his exploration of the Copper, Tanana, and Koyukuk Rivers of Alaska, in 
the year 1885, for reference to the Committee on Printing. 

WM. C. ENDICOTT, 

Secretary of War, 
The President pro tempore of the United States Senate. 



ORDERS. 
[Special Orders No. 16.] 

Headquarters Department of the Columbia,' 

Vancouver Barracks, Wash. Ter., January 27, 1885. 
By authority of the Lieutenant-General of the Army, conveyed in 
telegram from Division Headquarters, of the 24th instant, Second 
Lieut. Henry T. Allen, Second Cavalry, acting aide-de-camp, is au- 
thorized to make a reconnaissance in Alaska, proceeding up the Cop- 
per River and down the Tanana River Valley. 

Letter of instruction will be furnished him for his information and 
guidance. 

Lieutenant Allen will be accompanied and assisted by Sergeant 
Cady Robertson, Troop E, Second Cavalry, and Private Frederick 
W. Fickett, Signal Corps, ordered to report to him for this pur- 
pose. 

9 



10 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

Lieutenant Allen, with his party, will proceed by the February 
steamer to Sitka, Alaska, at which place he will engage passage by 
the schooner Leo, or other conveyance, to Nuchek, the nearest prac- 
tical harbor to the mouth of Copper River. 

Lieutenant Allen will avail himself of every possible opportunity 
to report his position and future movements. 

The Quartermaster's Department will furnish the necessary trans- 
portation for Lieutenant Allen and party, and the Subsistence De- 
partment will furnish the necessary subsistence from stores on 
hand. 

Lieutenant Allen is appointed acting assistant quartermaster, act- 
ing commissary of subsistence, and acting ordnance officer of the 
expedition. 

Upon completion of the duty contemplated, Lieutenant Allen will 
return to these headquarters. 

By command of Major-General Pope: 

H. CLAY WOOD, 
Assistant Adjutant-General. 

Official: 

H. Clay Wood, 

Assistant Adjutant- General. 



INSTRUCTIONS. 

Headquarters Department of the Columbia, 

Vancouver Barracks, Wash. Ter., January 27, 1885. 

Sir: On your return from your journey to Nuchek, near the mouth 
of Copper River, Alaska, last month you expressed a strong desire 
to attempt explorations in that territory, and, as you are aware, I 
telegraphed Brigadier-General Miles, absent in Washington City, of 
your anxiety and your proposed plan of action. 

General Miles indicated his assent, and on his recommendation the 
Lieutenant-General commanding the Army, having read your re- 
port, has approved and authorized the proposed reconnaissance. 

I inclose an official copy of Special Orders, No. 16, of this date, 
directing the movement of yourself and party, and communicate 
the following instructions, similar in import to those given Lieuten- 
ants Schwatka and Abercrombie, for your information and guid- 
ance. 

In view of the fact that so little is known of the interior of the 
Territory of Alaska, and that the conflicting interests between the 
white people and the Indians of that Territory may in the near 
future result in serious disturbances between the two races, the de- 
partment commander authorizes you to proceed to that Territory for 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. H 

the purpose of obtaining all information which will be valuable and 
important, especially to the military branch of the Government. 

You will make your objective point that district of country drained 
by the Copper and Tanana Rivers, and ascertain as far as practica- 
ble the number, character, and disposition of all natives living in 
that section of country ; how subdivided into tribes and bands; the 
district of country they inhabit; their relations to each other, and 
especially their disposition toward the Russian Government in the 
past, towards the United States Government in the past and at the 
present time, and toward the whites who are making their way into 
that region. 

You will further examine their modes of life and their means of 
communication from one part of the country to the other, the amount 
and kinds of material of war in their possession and from whence 
obtained. You will further obtain such information as may be 
practicable as to the character of the country or means of using and 
sustaining a military force, if one should be needed in that territory. 
You will examine especially as to the kind and extent of the native 
grasses, and ascertain if animals ordinarily used in military opera- 
tions can be subsisted and made of service there ; also ascertain the 
character of the climate, especially inland, the severity of the win- 
ters, and any other information which would be important and val- 
uable to the military service. 

Let your researches be thorough, and endeavor to complete as far 
as practicable all desired information in each portion of the country 
as you advance into the interior, that your work may be resumed 
hereafter, if deemed necessary, at any point at which you may be 
compelled by untoward circumstances to abandon it. 

You will endeavor to impress the natives with the friendly dispo- 
sition of the Government, and in this connection the importance of 
opening and maintaining friendly relations with the natives cannot 
be too strongly impressed upon you and your assistants. 

In no case will you move in any section of the country where you 
cannot go without provoking hostilities or inciting the natives to 
resistance. 

You are not authorized to exercise any control of affairs in that 
Territory. 

Whenever an opportunity occurs you will make full reports to these 
headquarters, accompanied as far as possible with itineraries, maps, 
tracings, and field notes of your journey and observations. 

You will endeavor to reach the mouth of Copper River at least by 
the first of March, so as to ascend the river by the ice. 

It is probable that the schooner Leo will, during February, make 
a trip from Sitka to Nuchek, and it is hoped you will be able to se- 
cure passage for your party by the Leo, and at the pate you have 
named — $70 each 



12 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

If you are in all respects fortunate and successful, it is possible 
for you to ascend the Copper River and descend the Tanana, and 
return in 1885, and this will be your general instruction ; but un- 
der the peculiar circumstances which will inevitably surround you, 
much must be left to your discretion and judgment, and therefore 
regarding your movements after leaving Copper River no definite 
directions can be given you. 

You will at all times exercise careful and strict economy in your 
necessary expenditures. 

You are authorized, in rejoining these headquarters, after com- 
pletion of the duties assigned you, to arrange for the transportation 
of yourself and party to any point on the Pacific coast not south of 
San Francisco, from which you can communicate with these head- 
quarters. 

You will supply yourself with such necessary blanks pertaining 
to the Quartermaster's, Subsistence, and Ordnance Departments as 
may be requisite, and the necessary enlistment blanks, muster-out 
rolls, and discharges. 

Should you find it necessary, you can enlist B.ve Indian scouts. 

Maj. De Witt C. Poole, paymaster, has been instructed to transfer 
to you $2,000, public funds of the Pay Department, as an advance to 
pay yourself and members of your detachment. 

You know the conflicting dispatches which have been received 
in regard to this reconnaissance, and the difficulties the adjutant- 
general of the department has encountered. 

All the hesitation in issuing the special order for the movement 
has arisen from the conflicting instructions received and a firm re- 
solve not to see you leave on this distant and uncertain expedition 
without the most ample provision in supplies and public funds to 
insure your safety, comfort, and the success of the reconnaissance. 

You now have ample funds; they are to be used for the payment 
of yourself and party; but so long as you have them you will not 
suffer from hunger or permit your party to. 

With best wishes for your success and safe return. 
By command of Major-General Pope : 

H. CLAY WOOD, 
Assistant Adjutant- General 

Second Lieut. Henry T. Allen, 

Second Cavalry, Acting Aide-de-Camp, 

Commanding Expedition to Alaska. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN, J 3 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 

War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, 

Washington, April 9, 1886. 

Sir : I have the honor to transmit herewith, as per orders, the ac- 
companying report of a reconnaissance on the Copper, Tanana, and 
Koynkuk Rivers of Alaska, made in the year 1885, together with 
maps illustrative of the conntry drained by said rivers, as far as the 
work extended. 

Rivers and other geographical features actually seen are drawn 
in full. Previously unmapped information from other sources is in- 
dicated by dotted lines. 

The reduction of sextant observations, which depended on a best- 
grade Howard movement watch, is not as satisfactory as I had hoped 
to obtain. Having had the benefit of a trip to Alaska before starting 
on this reconnaissance, I became convinced of the impracticability of 
carrying a box chronometer, nor have I since had reason to think 
that it could have withstood the hardships. Had it been carried on 
the person of any of the party it would have had many submersions 
in the rivers and jars from unexpected tumbles. 

The services rendered by my assistants, Sergeant Cady Robertson, 
Troop E, Second Cavalry, and Private Fred. W. Fickett, United 
States Signal Corps, throughout the privations and hardships neces- 
sary to the success of the expedition, were most valuable, as will be 
seen from the report and records. 

The prospectors, Peter Johnson and John Bremner, whom I added 
to the party, the former at Nuchek, the latter at the junction of Cop- 
per and Chittyna Rivers, rendered most excellent services. I cannot 
say too much in commendation of the indomitable courage and en- 
ergy of Mr. Johnson. His zeal and endurance were admirable. 

I am under obligations to staff officers of the Department of Co- 
lumbia, who so efficiently supplied the party from their respective de- 
partments with such necessaries as the conflicting circumstances 
under which we started would permit. Special acknowledgment is 
due to Col. H. Clay Wood, adjutant-general of the Department of the 
Columbia, for his conscientious fostering of the expedition. Ac- 
knowledgment is also due to Lieut. Commander H. E. Nichols, com- 
manding Pinta, and officers of that vessel, for courtesies extended 
the party during the stay in Sitka and during the voyage to Nuchek ; 
to Mr. Lewis Gerstle, president Alaska Commercial Company, for 
the privilege granted me in his letter of introduction to the various 
factors of that company in the Territory, authorizing them to cash 
checks and render such other assistance as was in their power ; and 
to these gentlemen at Nuchek, on the Yukon, at St. Michael's, at the 
Seal Islands, and at Ounalaska. 



14 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

The photography of Copper River, other than that obtained from 
Lientenant Abercrombie, expresses in a poor manner the result of 
much patience and perseverance under the most trying circum- 
stances. The plates were necessarily intrusted to natives to be car- 
ried to the mouth of the river. Recent developments show that their 
curiosity led them to open the box containing them, thus exposing 
the plates to the light, and totally injuring all but the few we had 
developed. 

Attempt has been made in the detailed report to account for the 
incompleteness, in many respects, of the information obtained, but 
the difficulty of obtaining subsistence and transportation, and other 
unusual disadvantages, will partially account for the many omissions. 
Delays were impossible on account of scarcity of food and unwilling- 
ness to rest while ignorant of time required to overcome the obstacles 
in advance. 

The loss of the psychrometer by theft of the natives on upper waters 
of the Tanana, and the injury they inflicted on the aneroid barome- 
ter, account for the absence of records from these instruments after 
the middle of June. 

The U. S. revenue steamer Corwin, after her deeds of daring in the 
Arctic, anchored off Fort St. Michael's, and gallantly extended us 
passage to San Francisco, notwithstanding she was crowded with the 
unfortunate crews of wrecked whalers. I would express my sense 
of the many kindnesses and courtesies rendered the party by Capt. 
M. A. Healy, commanding, and all the officers of the Corwin. The 
great inconveniences these worthy gentlemen submitted to in order 
to afford us a return demand more than ordinary thanks. 

x When the party started it was not considered possible to do more 
than ascend the Copper River, cross the Alaskan Mountains, and 
descend the Tanana River in one season ; yet verbal authority was 
obtained to continue the work, in case there was time, or, if it became 
necessary, to winter in the Territory; and this is the authority for 
the exploration of the Koyukuk River. 

It is believed that the maps and information embodied in this 
report will be valuable to prospectors and others who are now mak- 
ing their way into the interior of the country, to the geographical 
world, and to all who are interested in this possession of the United 
States, about which so little authentic information relative to its 
interior is known. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

H. T. ALLEN, 
Second Lieutenant, Second Cavalry. 

To the Adjutant-General, 

United States Army. 






INTRODUCTION. 



So much lias been written with respect to the Alaskan country in 
general, its coast resources, peoples and their customs, that the fol- 
lowing report will be restricted almost entirely to the interior, and 
especially to the vast extent of country drained by the Copper, Ta- 
nana, and Koyukuk Rivers, nearly all of which is unknown. 

To those unacquainted with the extent of our Alaskan possessions, 
the distances recorded during the explorations would seem exag- 
gerated. Observation of the accompanying map showing the num- 
ber of degrees of latitude and longitude covered by the exploration, 
and a recollection that the area of Alaska is equal to three times that 
of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Mary- 
land taken together, will suffice to account for the seemingly excessive 
distances. 

The work is included between the sixtieth and sixty-seventh paral- 
lels, and between the one hundred and forty-secondth and one hun- 
dred and sixty-first meridians, and these inclose approximately 
240,000 square miles. 

It is a very remarkable fact that a region under a civilized govern- 
ment for more than a century should remain so completely unknown 
as the vast territory drained by the Copper, Tanana, and Koyukuk 
Rivers, 

15 



PAET I 



HISTORICAL 



8. Ex. 125 2 



17 






HISTORICAL 



COPPER RIVER. 

The knowledge of Coj>per or Atna River prior to 1884 was limited 
to Russian records and native reports. 

The initial point for all expeditions to that river has been Port 
Eteches (Nuchek) or Hinchinbrook Island, now the trading station 
of the Alaska Commercial Company, and about 50 miles to the west- 
ward of the mouth of Copper River. 

This village was located by Cook in 1776-79; by Chornhoff in 
1830; Belcher in 1830-42; Tebenkoff in 1852; and, more recently, by 
the Coast and Geodetic Survey, which last gives it a latitude of 00° 
21' K and longitude of 146° 38' W. 

From 1788, the year when the first redoubt (odindtschka) was built 
at the mouth of the river, up to 1847, the explorations were made by 
men wholly destitute of mathematical knowledge, and the maps con- 
structed by them were subsequently found to be entirely inaccurate. 

The odindtschka ("a single redoubt") was located a few miles 
south of Alaganik (Anahanuk), but at present no traces of it remain. 
It is probable that a village of two miserable bardbarras, called by 
the natives " Skatalis," is on the site of the old odindtisclika of the 
Russians. 

The mouth of Copper River was discovered by Nagaieff in 1781. 

In 171)0 there were two expeditions having for their object the ex- 
ploration of Copper River, one under Tarchanoff, the other under 
Samoyleff, both of which failed, the latter on account of hostility of 
Hie natives. 

In 1708 Partichken, and in 1803 Boyanoff, explored the Copper 
River for a short distance. In 1819 Klimuosky made some explora- 
tions in the same direction. In 1843 Gregorieif (Grijorjew of the 
Germans) renewed the attempt. 

In 1847 Captain Tebenkoff directed Rufus Sereueriiiikoff", a Creole,* 
and a graduate of a school of commercial navigation of Saint Peters- 
burg, to explore the Copper River. 

*The term Creole, misapplied to mixed races of the Russian- American posses- 
sions, formerly signified the offspring of a Russian father and native mother. At 
the present thne there are many so-called Creoles in Alaska, some of whom have 
a Russian grandfather and an American father. Jn manythe native blood pre- 
dominates. A former master of the schooner Leo, who had married a Creole of 
the Aleutian Islands, informed me that there were at that time (1884) only two 

" pure blood" RuSS'an women in Alaska, 

10 



20 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

The unfortunate Serdberinikoff, with his assistants, eleven in 
number, a part at least of whom were Aleuts, were murdered some- 
where north of the Tleschitina, a river known at the present time 
by the natives as Tezlina, and such I have called it in my report. 
No cause or place of his death has ever been definitely assigned, 
and the meager results of his explorations are known from his par- 
tially destroyed notes, subsequently given up by the natives. It 
is true that one of his observations for latitude gave 62° 48' N". , but 
there is no record of his journey after he had descended the Tezlina 
and started again up the Copper. The mouth of the Tezlina is in ap- 
proximate latitude 62° !N". 

On the 14th of August, 1847, Sereberinikoff arrived at Alaganik, 
on the most westerly channel of the delta of the Copper River, called 
by him Anee River. His observation placed this village in latitude 
60° 41' 17", while the records show it to be only a few miles above 
the odindtschka. Lieutenant Abercrombie places it in latitude 00° 
21', and the latter has been used by me. Continuously cloudy and 
stormy weather prevented an observation in this locality during our 
travels. 

The following is the gist of Sereberinikoff's notes. The Russian 
party left Alaganik, intending to row up the river, but meeting a 
current of nine miles per hour, was compelled to cordell. 

On the 18th the northernmost end of this channel (the Anee) was 
reached, some floating ice having been encountered en route. At 
the upper end of the channel were numerous shallows. 

On August 2G, eight days after reaching the main stream, the 
latitude was determined to be 60° 38' 47*. I will here remark that 
this observation is probably the authority for the very singular po- 
sition of the mouth of Copper River, as shown on all existing charts 
prior to that of Lieutenant Abercrombie. It is evident that either 
the observation is much out, or else the delta mouth of the river has 
undergone a wonderful change since 1848. I found the course of 
the river from Alaganik, by following the western channels as much 
as possible, to be nearly north. I do not doubt that radical changes 
are being wrought in the delta of the river by the enormous deposits 
annually carried down, but the one in question seems too great to 
have been accomplished in a period of thirty-seven years. 

On September 1 Sereberinikoff's boat struck a hidden rock, and 
many valuable articles, including his watch, were lost. 

September 4, his party reached the odindtschka, below the mouth 
of the Tschichitna (Chittyna), where it wintered. The coldest 
weather recorded was 40 below zero (Rcamur). 

May 16, 1848, Sereberinikoff started for the upper river with eleven 
men, one hundred fish, four poods (thirty-six pounds each) of bis- 
cuits, four wild sheep, and some tea and sugar, 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 21 

At noon on the 17th the party passed the month of the Chittyna. 
On the 18th stopped at a settlement of twelve souls, where the in- 
habitants were suffering fearfully from destitution and hunger, and 
on the following day it arrived, at a settlement of twelve sonls, six 
women and six children, the fiye men usually dwelling there having 
gone to Constantine Redoubt (Nuchek). Here the party was treated 
to fish-bones, and some roots, and in return gave two pounds of 
tobacco. 

On the 20th it reached a deserted settlement, whose inhabitants 
had left in March for a hunt. 

On the 2 2d the sheep were all gone and the men put on one fish 
per day. 

On the 24th reached mouth of Tezlina, flowing from Lake Plave*z- 
nie. Men put on one-half fish per day. The Tezlina was found to be 
shallow, full of stones, and very rapid. 

On the 25th started on foot to explore Lake Pleveznie, keeping the 
Tezlina in sight. 

On the 28th made a halt on a small river and met two families of 
natives returning from a hunt. Were treated to fresh moose meat, 
and gave them in turn two pounds of tobacco. Observation for lat- 
itude gave G2° 8' ll ,r . 

On the 30th reached the lake ; found two families. At night the 
natives killed four deer (caribou?), swimming in the lake. Pur- 
chased one for 135 feet of beads. All of it was at once eaten, together 
with some dry meat and some small fish. Red fish (salmon, doubt- 
less) appear in the middle of June. It is said they never go down 
the river again. Natives of Plave*znie have the same language, 
same destitution and constant suffering as do those of Copper River. 
Hunger begins the middle of winter, however abundant the game of 
the preceding season. The greatest reliance for food is on rabbits, 
which they snare. 

June 3, built a baiddrra and passed two days in following around 
the shores of the lake. The southeastern end of it is near a chain of 
mountains capped with ice, below the line, of which timber grows. 
From the west side the lake receives two tributaries, along one of 
which is the portage to the Bay of Kenai, to make which requires 
about twelve days. Trees on southern shores only. Latitude of 
southerly point of lake is 02° 2' 32". Poverty of natives leads to the 
conclusion that there would be little fur trade. 

June 5, took leave of the friendly natives and started down the 
Tezlin f 4in abaidarra; reaching its mouth the following day. Thence 
up the Copper River. From this time there are no records, save the 
observation, which gives a latitude of 02° 48' 45*. 

I have had the above translated from the "Journal of tin 1 Russian 
Geographical Society," published at St. Petersburg in 1810, now in 
the Congressional Library, by Mr. S. N. Buynitzi, and have gone 



22 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

thus into detail to show that the nomadic habits of the natives, their 
improvidence, and the annual scarcity of food during the winter 
months existed forty years ago as well as to-day. The above nar- 
rative, so far as I know, is all that is of record relative to the Tezlina 
River and Lake Pleveznie. It partially accounts for the origin of 
the Midnodskies' present insatiate desire for tobacco. The watch 
having been lost early in September, 1847, there were no determina- 
tions of longitude. 

From Mcolai, one of the most intelligent of the Midnodskies (the 
name given to the Copper River natives by the Russians), I learned 
that there had been three massacres of Russians on the Copper River, 
one above Taral and two below. The one above, probably that of 
Serdberinikoff, he claims was done by the Tatlatans, or Upper Cop- 
per River natives, the one near the mouth of the river by coast na- 
tives, and the one just below Taral by his own people. 

He was reluctant to talk about the matter, but finally vindicated 
his people by telling the wrongs inflicted on them by the Russians. 
His story was as follows : Three Russians and as many sleds drawn 
by natives were en route to Taral with merchandise. The natives 
were not allowed to sleep, and were compelled to haul the Russians, 
who slept on the sleds. At a preconcerted sign the head of each of 
them was crushed in with an ax. He said he knew nothing about the 
details of the other massacres, and if he did he would not talk about 
them. 

The following is from the Alaska Coast Pilot, part 1, published in 
18G9: 

<There is an Indian settlement at the mouth of the Tschettschitna [Chittyna], 
and when the ice breaks up in the lake the stream suddenly overflows its banks 
and rushes with such swiftness that the inhabitants flee to the mountains. 

On the left bank of the Atna, a mile above the Tschettschitna, is the single house 
of one of the Russian company's traders. Tebenkoff places it in latitude 61° 28' 01" 
and longitude 145° 16'. On the left bank, directly in view of the post, is the sugar- 
loaf-shaped volcano, Mount Wrangell, covered with perpetual snow, but emitting 
fire and smoke. The natives of the river are described by Tebenkoff as savage, 
bloodthirsty, suspicious, stubborn, and unwilling to have anything to do with the 
Russians. 

I saw no traces of this Indian settlement at the mouth of Tschett- 
schitna (Chittyna), and if such existed it would probably have 
been situated on its banks, which are many feet higher than the line 
the water attained in the spring of 1885. Moreover, there is no lake 
of any considerable size at the head of the river, if the natives can 
in any manner be relied on. The only traces of a Russian store that 
I could ascertain to have ever existed are at the present village of 
Taral, ££ miles below the mouth of the Chittyna. I found Mount 
Wrangell to be on the east side of Copper River and 40 miles dis : 
tant from the nearest point. Tebenkoff 's information was derived 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 23 

from the data of Sereberinikoff , whom he sent out. I cite the above 
few extracts to show how the existing knowledge of the Copper River 
region differs from the country as we saw it. 

The natives informed me that no white men had ever ascended the 
Chittyna River, and this is partially corroborated _by the fact that 
in 1867 the officers of the Russian American Company supposed that 
pure copper was found in masses twenty-five or thirty miles above 
the mouth of the river. 

In 1882 Mr. C. G. Holt, the present trader at Nuchek, ascended the 
Copper River with the Midnooskies as far as Taral, on their return 
to their own country, in the spring, and remained with them until 
September. He, however, returned to Nuchek without having been 
more than a mile or two from Taral. His objective point was the 
copper region of the Chittyna; but having been crippled through 
some accident, his purpose was defeated. He described the natives 
as treacherous and thievish, detailing at the same time some inci- 
dents from which he drew his estimate of their character, and illus- 
trated the imminent dangers to which they had exposed him.* 

In the summer of 1884, Lieut. W. R. Abercrombie, Second In- 
fantry, A. D. C, assisted by Captain Robinson, assistant surgeon, 
Lieutenant Brumback, Second Infantry, and C. A. Homan, assistant 
topographer, started up the Copper River with instructions from 
General N. A. Miles, commanding department, similar to those hereto 
prefixed. This party reached a position on the Copper River in lati- 
tude 60° 41', when it returned to ISTuchek, and subsequently made ex- 
plorations in the direction of Port Valdes. 

The following is from the report of Lieutenant Abercrombie : 

On the first day of September, being convinced of the unwarrantable risk of 
leaving our canoe and starting out on foot at the then late season without rations 
(ours being more or less damaged by having been so often immersed in the river), I 
felt satisfied that the only course left was a winter journey. Furthermore, we had 
been informed by the Upper River natives and those on the coast that a shorter 
route existed via Port Valdes over the mountain to a lake, the outlet of which 
ran into the Copper River below the Chechitna (Chittyna). 

A full report of the operations of Lieutenant Abercrombie's party 
is in the possession of the War Department. 

The miner, John Bremner, ascended the Copper as far as Taral in 
the summer of 1884, and his subsequent actions are included in my 
report. 

So far as I know the foregoing constituted our knowledge of the 
Copper River and its shed prior to 1885. 

* About one year after our visit to Nuchek Mr. Holt was murdered by the Copper 
River natives, who seemed to cherish a violent dislike towards him during our in- 
tercourse with them. 



i 



24 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 



TANANA RIVER. 

The history of " white man's " exploits on the Tanana is indeed lim- 
ited, and by omitting one or two events might be told in the his- 
tory of the little trading station on the right bank 48 miles from the 
month of the river. 

From "A Reconnaissance of the Yukon River," 1869, by Raymond, 
the following is taken : 

Leaving Nulato on the 19th, we arrived at Fort Adams on the 22d. This station 
is near the mouth of the Tanana River, the most important tributary of the Yukon, 
and was at the time the easternmost station ever established on the river from the 
western coast. * * * Chief, indeed, among all the tributaries of the Yukon 
stands the great Tanana, "the river of the mountains." It empties into the Yukon 
about 30 miles below the Ramparts, and its rapid waters increase the current of the 
main river for a long distance. Only a few miles from the mouth have been trav- 
eled by white men. It apparently comes from the southeast, but it is believed that 
many miles above the explored portion it makes a great bend from the east, its 
sources lying near the Upper Yukon. 

The following account is from "Alaska and its Resources," 1870, by 
Dall: 

The Tanana River enters the Yukon in latitude 64° 07' N. and in longitude 150 D 
08' W. , and is entirely unexplored. No white man has dipped his paddle into its 
waters and we only know of its length and character from Indian reports. They 
inform us that it flows from the eastward, that some of its headwaters are not far 
from Fort Yukon, and others not far distant from the Upper Ramparts of the Yukon, 
above the fort. The largest trees brought down in the spring freshets come from 
this river. Its banks are said to be high and mountainous and its course marked by 
rapids and cascades. The length is estimated at 250 miles. The name Tanana 
means River of Mountains, and it has long been described on the old maps of Rus- 
sian America under the name of the River of the Mountain Men. The Hudson Bay 
men called it the Gens des Buttes River. 

For a while after the transfer of the territory there were two rival 
companies in the Yukon, country, each eager to obtain the furs of the 
natives of the" Tanana, and this led to the establishment of a post on 
the north bank of the Tanana, 48 miles above its mouth. 

This is the station where Mrs. Bean, the wife of the trader, was 
murdered in cold blood. Her slayer is yet at large, and the indiffer- 
ence to his crime manifested by our Government now causes the 
natives to make threats to the white traders, at the same time boast- 
ing of the immunity accorded Mrs. Bean's murderer. They also cite 
the massacre of Lieutenant Barnard and the Russian Kogenikoff, for 
which they have never been punished. 

In the year 1882, the missionary, Mr. Simms, started with a few 
natives up the Tanana in. canoes. The distance he ascended is not 
known, though it is supposed that the Toclat River was the limit of 
his travel. His food supplies became short, and the Yukon natives, 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 25 

through fear of the Tananatanas, refused to go farther, hence his 
return. 

I met while in the territory several miners who had either started 
across from Fort Reliance for the Tanana or were going to start 
very soon. Up to the time I left that river none had ever reached 
its waters. The frequent visits of the Upper Tananatanas to the 
posts Fetdtlin and Fort Reliance, on the Yukon, called by them 
Tetatling and Sawchek, respectively, have awakened in many of the 
miners who annually cross from Chilcat to the Yukon a strong de- 
sire to visit the country of these people. It is not the difficulties of 
the trail so much as its length that has thus far deterred them. To 
carry supplies on the back for that distance, and at the same time 
prospect, is a difficult task even for miners, the most hardy and capa- 
ble class of men for such work. 

Lieutenant Schwatka, in his official report of his reconnaissance 
on the Yukon in 1883, makes mention of the Tanana as the largest 
unexplored river of the western continent. In his "Along Alaska's 
Great River," published in 1885, an account of the journey from 
Fetiitlin, near Johnny's Village, on the Yukon, to the Tanana, thence 
to its mouth, by Messrs. Harper and Bates, is given as follows : 

With one white companion, and some Indians as packers, he crossed from the 
trading station at Belle Isle, near Johnny's Village, or Klatol-klin, in a southwest 
direction, over the hills that divide the Yukon and Tanana basins, ascending a 
tributary of the former and descending one of the latter, the journey occupying two 
or three weeks, after which the Indians were sent back. A boat was constructed 
from the hide of a moose, resembling the "bull boat" of the Western frontiersman, 
and in this they drifted to the river's mouth. At the point the two travelers first 
sighted the Tanana the trader estimated it to be about 1,200 yards wide, or very 
nearly three-quarters of a mile, and as they were floating fifteen or sixteen hours a 
day for ten days, on a current whose speed he estimated at 6 or 7 miles an hour, it 
being much swifter than the Yukon at any point as high as Belle Isle, my inform- 
ant computed his progress at from 90 to 100 miles a day, or from 900 to 1,000 
miles along the Tanana. He estimates the whole length of the river, by combining 
the result of his observation with Indian reports, at from ten to twelve hundred 
miles. Fear of the Tanana Indians appears to be the motive for the rapid rate of 
travel through their country and although in general a. very friendlytribe toencoun- 
ter away from home, they are always opposed to any exploration of their country. 
The trader's companion had suggested and promoted the journey as a quasi scien- 
tific expedition, and he collected a few skulls of the natives and some botanical speci- 
mens, but no maps or notes were made of the trip, and it was afterward said by the 
Alaska Company's employes that theexplorer was an envoy of the "opposition,' 
as the old traders called the new company, sent to obtain information regarding 
the country as a trading district. Allowing a fair margin for all possible error, I 
think theriver is from 800 to 900 miles long, not a single portion of which can be 
said to have been mapped. Tin's would probably make the Tanana, if I am right 
in my estimate, the largest wholly unexplored river in the world, certainly the 
longest of the western continent. 

Lieutenant Schwatka adds as a foot-note : 

I have since learned that Mr. Bates made a map and took notes. 



26 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

I traveled several days on the Yukon River with Mr. Harper and 
learned of him that his party had no instruments for determining 
positions while running down the Tanana. From his description of 
that part of the river first seen by it, and being informed by him that 
it was below the Bushy-haired chief's (Kheeltat's), I am disposed to 
think that it was just below Cathedral Rapids, about 100 miles from 
the mouth of the Tetling River. Mr. Harper considered his natives 
skilled men for running rapids and expressed great surprise that we 
had safely run the rapids of the Tanana without native assistance. 
He considered the chances of a party successfully running the rapids 
of the Tanana in a skin boat about equal to those in floating down 
the Yukon on a raft with natives on each bank firing at it. 

These few paragraphs constitute the history of the third or fourth 
river in size in Alaska. I am in doubt whether this or the Koyukuk 
contains the greater volume of water. 

KOYUKUK RIVER. 

In the early part of the year 1833 the island of St. Michael's be- 
came known to Cook, and was called by him Cape Stephens. In the 
latter part of the same year Baron Wrangell, general manager of the 
Russian American colonies, with the idea that communication be- 
tween Behring Sea and Norton Sound could be established overland, 
sent Tebenkoff to the latter place. While there Tebenkoff founded 
a settlement on "Cape Stephens," and called it and the island St. 
Michael's, the name now used. From this point the subsequent 
Russian exploring expeditions into the Yukon country toward the 
Yukon River started. 

A Creole, Andrea Glasanoff, with four volunteers, was the first to 
make the portage from Norton Sound to the Yukon River, thence to 
the Kuskokwim, but his explorations did not extend farther up the 
Yukon than Anvik River. 

In 1833 Lieutenant Rosenberg, I. R. N., was sent with a schooner to 
explore the mouths of the Yukon, called at the time the Kwikpak, 
but failed to do so on account of the shallow water there. 

Five years later Malakoff , starting from St. Michael's in the interest 
of the Russian American Company, crossed from Kekigtowruk vil- 
lage to the Yukon and ascended it as far as the present site of Nulato, 
24 miles below the mouth of the Koyukuk River, where he estab- 
lished a trading station. For want of provisions he was compelled 
to return temporarily to St. Michael's, and while absent the natives 
burned the building he had constructed. 

Besides these, Captain Kiiprianoff, I. R. N., sent several expeditions 
prior to 1841 towards the Yukon, the main object of all being of com- 
mercial interest. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 27 

Iii 1841 Captain Etolin was directed to select a competent man for 
astronomical determination of places in the direction of Kotzebne 
Sound and in the interior. Lieutenant Zagoskin having been chosen 
for this work, arrived at St. Michael's July 10, 1842, with six volun- 
teers from Sitka. August 1 he started up the coast to the mouth of 
the U nalaklik River, where he established a post of four men. Its 
object was to prevent the natives carrying their furs to those farther 
north, who traded them to the inhabitants (Chukchi) of the Asiatic 
side, and also to secure communication with the settlement which 
Malakoff had begun at Nulato. For reasons best known to himself, 
Zagoskin determined not to attempt the summer portage, but wait 
until winter; hence his return to St. Michael's in the meantime. 

On the 4th day of December, with five sleds and twenty-seven dogs, 
he again started for Unalaklik, which he reached in time to start for 
the Yukon on the IGth. Heavy snows caused the failure of this at- 
tempt, but another on the 30th was successful, and on January 10, 
1843, he was at a settlement on the Yukon (Hogotlinda), lat. 64° 19'. 
Five days later he was at Nulato, where he remained until February 
25, when, in accordance with his instructions, he left the place to ex- 
plore in the direction of Kotzebne Sound. To accomplish this he 
began the ascent of the Koyukuk River (Yunaka). At its junction 
with the Yukon he found a settlement of considerable size, called by 
the natives Tokakat. 

March 4 he was at the junction of the Koteelkakat with the Koyukuk 
(5G miles by the river from the Yukon and his highest point on the Ko- 
yukuk). From this point he endeavored to reach an arm of Kotzebue 
Sound by following up the Koteelkakat, probably 30 or 40 miles, 
thence across the country to his destination. The natives he had em- 
ployed, after having gone a great part of the distance, refused to ad- 
vance farther through fear of the Mahlemutes, so Zagoskin was com- 
pelled to return via the Kcjyukuk without having accomplished all his 
mission. The highest point reached by him in the direction of the 
Koteelkakat is in latitude G5° 35', about 20 miles north of its mouth. 

The above is the gist of an abstract from Lieutenant Zagoskin's 
journal, by S. I. Zelonai, a member of St. Petersburg Geographical 
Society, afterwards minister of roads for Russia. 

The following account of his explorations is given in the History 
of Alaska, by H. H. Bancroft, 1885: 

In 1842, Lieutenant Zagoskin, of the imperial navy, set forth for Norton Sound 
and Mikhillovsk (St. Michael's), purposing to make an inland exploration of the 
northern territory. His work was confined chiefly to the middle course of the 
Kuskokwim and the lower course of the Yukon, especially the Koyukuk, which lie 
followed to its headwaters, and to the divide which separates it from the streams 
running into Kotzehue Sound. At Nulato li<- was assisted byDerzhabin (Derabin?) 
in building a new fort. Zagoskin's exploration was performed conscientiously and 
well. Whenever we find mistakes we may ascribe them to his imperfect instru- 
ments and to local obstacles. 



28 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

That Zagoskin went to the headwaters of the Koteelkakat I do not 
doubt, but I have failed to find any authority for the statement that 
he reached those of the Kdyukuk. 

Dall is the authority for the following, which is additional proof of 
the want of accurate knowledge of the size of the Kdyukuk: 

The Koyukuk River enters from the north, and is a large stream, formed by the 
fusion of the Kuthlatino and Kutelno Rivers from the west, and the Koteelkakat 
from the east. Its length, including tributaries, is estimated at 100 miles. Other 
rivers, rising near it, fall into Kotzebue and Norton Sounds. 

He too was probably, at the time of writing, under the impression 
that Zagoskin had reached its headwaters. 

The officers and employes of the Western Union Telegraph expe- 
dition made many explorations in Western Alaska shortly after the 
transfer of the Territory in 18G8 (see Dall's works). Some of the 
American fur traders established a post at the junction of the Koteel- 
kakat and Kdyukuk to intercept the furs that would be delivered at 
Nulato. The competition that existed between rival trading com- 
panies caused the fur trade to become so unremunerative that finally 
the Alaska Commercial Company was left alone in charge of the busi- 
ness. The rivalry no longer existing, the post on the Kdyukuk was 
abandoned and has so remained since. 

The engineer of the steamboat Yukon, a Canadian, informed me 
that he had been to the Kdyukuk in winter via the trail from Nuk- 
lukyet. I afterwards learned that not only he but Mr. Mayo, a fur 
trader, had been to the small village on the Konodtena, a tributary of 
the Kdyukuk, but no farther. It is hardly probable that any white 
man had, prior to our journey, seen that portion of the Kdyukuk 
above the abandoned trading station. 

Captain Raymond, as early as 18G9, heard of the trail from near 
Nuklukyet (Fort Adams) to the Kdyukuk. He describes from native 
reports as follows: 

From the headwaters of the Koteelkakat River, the eastern branch of the Koyu- 
kuk River, which empties into the Yukon a few miles above Nulato, the natives 
are said to make a portage to the headwaters of the Quisnon, and descending this 
and the Tosecargut River, of which it is a western tributary, to make their way to 
Fort Adams. I have no information regarding the character of the country in the 
vicinity of these streams. 

On the 13th we passed the mouth of the Koyukuk, the largest northern tributary 
of the Yukon River, I believe, although little or nothing is known any great dis- 
tance beyond i!s mouth. 

The "historical" of this river, so far as relates to the exploits of 
white men, is easily and quickly summed up. The study of the 
history of the natives, however, is highly interesting, but not by any 
means so determinate a one. 



PART II 



NARRATIVE. 



29 






0{ 









THE VOYAGE AND ARRIVAL. 



PORTLAND, OREGON, TO NCCHEK, ALASKA. 

The time of starting of the party was not definitely determined 
nntil a few hours prior to the departure of the rnail-st earner Idaho. 
She was boarded at Portland, Oregon, at 11 p. m., January 28, and 
departed for Puget Sound at daylight the following day. The first 
port touched was Townsend at midnight, January 29. From this 
point the usual route was followed to Sitka, touching at the fol- 
lowing places: Victoria and Nanaiino, on Vancouver's Island, British 
Columbia; Wrangell, Juneau, and a few other places of less import- 
ance. 

A few purchases of quartermaster and subsistence stores were 
made at Townsend and Victoria, also some sleds at Juneau, such as 
are used by the miners of the Stickeen River country. These sleds 
are described further on. 

We reached Sitka February 10, and found, much to my chagrin, 
that the schooner Leo, on which the transportation of party to 
Nuchek was contemplated, had sailed two days prior to San Francisco. 
That this disappointment was not the result of a, breach of promise 
on the part of her owners did not mitigate in any degree our diffi- 
culties. Transportation on her was conditionally agreed upon be- 
tween Mr. Whitf ord, of Sitka, and myself, a few months prior, with 
the understanding that I notify him by January steamer whether or 
not it would be wanted. At the very last moment I telegraphed to 
Nanaimo, British Columbia, the limit of telegraphic communication 
in the direction of Alaska: "There will be no Government party on 
February steamer"; and this released the schooner, since she failed 
to receive letters and telegrams addressed to her at San Francisco, 
where it is supposed she would be during December and part of 
January, instead of in Puget Sound, where I afterwards found she 
had staid during this time. The telegram was carried from Na- 
naimo to Sitka by the January steamer, and expressed at the time 
the supposed intentions of the Government. The steamer that left 
Portland, Oreg., the last of December is called the January steamer, 
inasmuch as most of January is consumed in making both ways. 
At Townsend, on January 30, I learned that the Leo bad cleared for 
Sitka, and this caused me to suppose that our arrival would find lu-v 
there. 

31 



32 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

There is nothing not frequently previously described by others 
to be related of the passage of the mail steamer to Sitka. 

The immediate point of departure for the interior of Alaska was 
Nuchek, on Hihchinbrook Island, 432 miles distant by sea from 
Sitka and 50 miles from mouth of Copper River. It here seemed im- 
possible to engage available transportation to either point. The Idaho 
would not consent to go, on account of it being the season of storms, 
and the want of a sufficient supply of coal aboard. Lieutenant-Com- 
mander Nichols, U. S. Navy, would not move the Pint a without 
orders from the Navy Department. The Thlinkit Indians would not 
attempt the voyage at that season of the year in their canoes, though 
a few annually visit the Yakutat natives for trading purposes. These 
latter trade at Nuchek, and through them transportation there was 
contemplated. An effort was finally made to secure a crew of white 
men, half-breeds, and natives with which to man on old row and 
sail boat of a peculiar type found at Sitka, and in this it was intended 
to follow the coast around to Nuchek. The money offered these 
men Avas a great inducement, and all agreed at first, but finally 
refused, giving as their reason the danger of such an attempt. As 
a last resort I went to Kilisnoo on the Idaho, with a view of char- 
tering the small steamboat used by the Northwest Fur and Trading 
Company at its fishery, but in this endeavor the same obstacles 
were met. 

My efforts, together with other feasible methods, were recorded and 
sent on steamer Idaho to headquarters Department of the Columbia 
for consideration. 

From Kilisnoo I returned to Sitka (70 miles) by canoe, and re- 
mained until the return of the Idaho, March 11, 1885. In the mean 
time I continued to make preparations for the interior by overhauling 
and repacking the supplies, of which there were about one thousand 
rations. At the same time we were familiarizing ourselves with our 
instruments, which were the sextant and artificial horizon, a best 
grade watch of Howard movement, used as chronometer, camera 
with dry plates and chemicals, and barometer. Besides these we 
had a pocket sextant, aneroid barometer, psychrometer, prismatic 
and pocket compasses. I found the pocket sextant to be unsatisfac- 
tory. The position of index arm, when it was supposed to be fixed, 
was unstable on account of the loose fittings of the gearings on which 
it depended. During this unexpected delay we added many articles 
that insufficient time below had prevented our collecting to our small 
outfit, yet was I by no means sanguine that all we already had could 
be carried. Among the valuable articles added were Liebig's ex- 
tract of beef, other sleds, and sleeping bags of linen sail cloth, made 
thoroughly waterproof by the use of beeswax and linseed oil. To 
Lieut. T. Dix Bolles, executive officer of the Plata, wa were in- 
debted for them. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 33 

The Idaho, on her arrival at Sitka, March. 11, brought the author- 
ity given Lieutenant-Commander Nichols to convey my party to 
Nuchek, a copy of which I received. This long delay had, I was well 
aware, imperiled our prospects of ascending the Copper River on the 
ice. The Pinta loosed her moorings on the morning of the 13th, and 
left the dock on the 16th, bound for Niichek. This voyage was 
without special note, save the fogs we encountered near Middleton 
Island, which caused some delay. 

On the afternoon of the 19th the Pinta steamed into Nuchek Har- 
bor, to remain only a few hours. Our outfit, including provisions, 
having been carefully packed and reduced as much as possible in 
volume, was soon landed in the row-boats, the anchorage having 
been made off Phipp's Point, about one mile from the landing. 

The Department is already in possession of descriptions of the In- 
dian village Niichek, the natives, trading stores, and surroundings, 
from, the report recently submitted by Lieut. W. R. Abercrombie, 
Second U. S. Infantry. This is the place visited by me in November, 
1884, since which time the entire absence of change marks the truly 
conservative spirit of the village. 

The only white man, the trader, Mr. Holt, informed me before 
landing that the Copper River natives had not yet been to the store 
to trade, but that they were in the Indian villages near the mouth 
of Copper River, and that he was daily expecting them. This seemed 
to partially prove that the ice had not yet gone out of the Copper 
River. The natives who had brought the report concerning Copper 
River natives (whom I will in the future call Midnooskies, a Rus- 
sian word meaning people of the Copper River) were not unanimous 
concerning the existence of ice in the Copper River. Some said that 
through fear of losing the ice upon which they traveled the Midnoos- 
kies had returned without visiting Niichek ; others that they had 
decided to wait until the ice went out, and until a May trading party 
had come down the river in a baidarra (skin boat). Either one of 
these stories might have accounted for their delay in bringing over 
their furs, but neither was correct. 

I will say in the beginning of this report that information from 
natives has generally proved about as accurate as the above. Their 
conclusions from concomitant circumstances are so much at variance 
with those naturally reached by an educated mind that no confidence 
can be placed in them. Information, while wholly false, may not be 
prompted by maliciousness, but frequently is the result of inability 
to make proper deductions. They tell most wonderful stories about 
parts of the country with which they are unacquainted, and doubtless 
believe very much of what they say. These characteristics were 
found to exist among all the natives of the interior as well as along 
the coast. 

After landing at Niichek on the afternoon of March 19, immediate 
S. Ex. 125 3 



34 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

preparations were begun for departure the following morning. To 
get transportation to Alaganik was not an easy task. The season for 
hunting the sea-otter was at hand, and the trader was making every 
effort to start the male population of the village on the hunt. Nearly 
all of these were accountable to the Alaska Commercial Company for 
liabilities incurred during the existence of the Northwest Fur and 
Trading Company's station at Nuchek. The accounts due the latter 
company had been transferred and it was made incumbent on the 
present trader to collect them. 

The natives, yet'mindful of the Russian chastisements, obey through 
fear the present agent, who turns to advantage the presence of any 
vessel that is sighted or touches at Nuchek. The visit of the Pinta, 
fourth rate man-of-war, with her small armament, though not seen 
by any natives above mouth of Copper River, was the indirect cause 
of much respect shown us by the natives. The farther we ascended 
the river the larger became this vessel and its guns. At one place its 
length, as estimated by a man, was equal to the distance between two 
islands, approximately half a mile, and the bore of the guns was ex- 
pressed by the greatest partial inclosure formed by the arms, tips of 
fingers widely separated. 

After much discussion we finally obtained two row-boats, each with 
capacity of about a ton, exclusive of the crews, and three natives, two 
of whom were boys, the third an old man, who was to act as pilot. 
None of these natives were fitted for sea-otter hunting, hence their 
transfer to us. Had the circumstances not required immediate action, 
I should have delayed in order to get thoroughly able-bodied men. 
Knowing how destructive a few warm days, even in that latitude, are 
•to bodies of ice, I decided to accept that assistance that would give 
earliest action and a start. In this as in all subsequent transactions 
with Alaskan natives the difficulty of a start was present. 

At this place I engaged the services of Peder Johnson, a prospector, 
who had been employed by Lieutenant Abercrombie, and whose part- 
ner, John Bremner, had ascended the Copper River in a baidarra 
with the Midnooskies in July, 1884. He was expecting news from 
Bremner which would decide his movements, but not hearing any- 
thing, agreed to accompany us rather than wait for the Midnooskies 
to reach Nuchek. 







fJBHSiF iiilHii _! ..;,■,..,., ':'.i 



NARRATIVE OF THE COPPER RIVER, 



NUCHEK TO ALAGANIK. 

On the morning of March 20 we left ISTuckek for the month of 
Copper River in the two boats obtained from the natives, with crews 
consisting of four white men and three natives. 

The three Eyaks who had informed us that the Midnooskies were 
at their village, and who were on a trading expedition, had promised 
us assistance, but deserted us just as we were starting. They helped 
us in launching the boats in the heavy surf that was rolling on the 
beach, and promised us to jump in at the proper time, two in one 
boat, one ' in the other, but they failed to do so without giving any 
reason. To have returned for re-enforcement after the experiment we 
had had in launching would have been hardly advisable, inasmuch 
as breakers were rapidly increasing. The natives told us positively, 
as did the trader, that we could not launch our boats. 

By the time we turned the seuthwest point of Hinchinbrook Island 
the breakers were washing our stores in the boats, and the natives 
insisted on returning to wait until the wind had subsided. The sun 
was yet shining, revealing with its splendor one of the finest water 
views along the coast, Prince William's Sound, surrounded on all 
sides with snow-capped and glacier-bedecked mountains. The face 
of Hinchinbrook Island on western side showed some remarkable 
folding of strata. 

We continued our struggle. At 5 o'clock, having passed John- 
stone's Point, we went into camp on the north side of the island, in a 
long, narrow inlet, where we found two deserted barabarras. The 
old native selected this as a safe harbor, prophesying at the same 
time the near approach of a storm. The "old man's"' prophecy was 
fulfilled, for barely had we hauled up the boats and made them fast 
than it began to sleet and rain, nor did we see the sun from that even- 
ing until we had passed the limit of great precipitation, north of 
the Copper River glaciers. The dimensions of the barabarras here 
were about 8 by 10 feet, and about 6-£ feet high, built in the same 
manner as those at Nuchek. 

The following day we left camp at 4 o'clock a. m.. and passed 
through the narrow and shallow channel between Hawkins Island 
and the most northerly point of Hinchinbrook Island. From the 

35 



36 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

southern extremity of Hawkins Island the storm forced ns to direct 
onr canoe to Point Whitshed, which should' have been passed 2 miles to 
port. Here we went into a small cove on west side of Point Whitshed, 
to interview an old native and his wife (Eyaks), whom we found by 
chance engaged in stringing clams. From them we learned that 
there was no other " harbor " for our boat short of the mouth of Copper 
River, unless we ran up into the Eyak, several miles north of our 
direct course. They spoke much of the mud flats, which we after- 
wards became acquainted with through sad experience. 

I relied much upon assistance from the Midndoskies, whom the 
Eyaks said had been at their village, Eyak, and who had a letter 
from John Bremner at Taral to Peder Johnson. Having worked 
continuously at the oars from 4 a. m. until 6 p. m. , and being unwill- 
ing to pass the village of Eyak without information more definite 
than we could obtain from the two natives we had met, I decided to 
camp in the small cove. 

Point Whitshed is a low, wooded peninsula, presenting a cragged 
appearance to the sea, and reaching within about 5 miles of Point 
Bentinck. This intermediate 5 miles has been described by Johnstone 
as " a low, uninterrupted, barren sand as far as the eye could reach." 
I did not find it to be such, but rather an extensive flat of bluish 
yellow mud, covered with water during the stormy days of our stay 
at flood tide; but at low tide no water, as far as the eye could reach, 
could be seen. These mud flats showed a network of tracks made by 
the small dugouts (canoes) used by the coast natives in their trans- 
portation. These draw only a few inches of water, and along the 
flats when the tide is. low are propelled by using the paddle as a pole. 
x From Point Whitshed, looking to the southward and eastward, a 
long line of piled ice and dwarf trees marked the channel of Eyak 
River, extending out into the flats. 

To reach the principal channel of Copper River, which we were 
to ascend in order to obtain water to float our boats, necessitated a 
start from Point Whitshed at 3 in the morning, about the time 
of flood tide. The wind was dead ahead, from the southeast, pro- 
ducing a heavy surf, and darkness was supreme. Our boats were 
constantly shipping water, yet for several hours we struggled against 
all difficulties, keeping close to the rugged and rocky shore, without 
a beach. The more the tide fell the oftener we grounded on the mud. 
We had hoped to reach the channel of Copper River before this state, 
of affairs could arrive. Finally, as a means of economy, we tried to 
make headway by going out from the shore, but the tide was reced- 
ing too fast and left us on the mud about eight hundred yards from 
shore, A few provisions were then earned by us to the rocky shore 
over the soft, sticky mud, and were cooked with drift-wood found 
lodged among the rocks. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 37 

Taking Pete (Peder Johnson), I started afoot for Eyak village, 
and after four and a half hours of tiresome walking over mud, ice, 
and snow, and sometimes through water, found a settlement of five 
houses, the dwellings of eight men, situated on the east bank of Eyak 
River, about one mile below the lake source of the same, and eight 
miles from the shore line of flood tide. Here we found the three 
Eyaks who had promised us assistance at Nuchek, and learned that 
two of the Midnodskies (called by them "Kinai") had been to Eyak, 
but had gone back to Alaganik by the portage ; also that there was a 
letter for Pete, but its location was unknown. The fact of a letter 
having been sent down the Copper River was so unusual as to be a 
"topic of conversation" among them. These Eyaks could give us 
no satisfactory account of the ice on Copper River, some declaring it 
good, others contradicting them. While returning to camp in a 
small canoe with four Eyaks we hailed, when about 1| miles from 
the shore line and just out of the channel of Eyak River, a canoe 
with a small piece of cotton cloth for sail. They were hugging the 
shore as closely as the shallowness of the water would permit, on ac- 
count of the storm. One of the natives was " Skilly," a Midnodsky, 
and the other "Kawkus," of Alaganik; the former, "captain" of 
the Copper River party, the latter the most prominent man of his 
village. They had the Copper River furs in charge, and were en 
route to Nuchek. Sighting their canoe seemed almost a godsend. 
They readily consented to sell their furs to me, and started for our 
boats, which we found could not be approached nearer than 200 or 
300 yards, even in small canoes. We walked to the boats, thence to 
the shore, dragging our transportation over the soft mud, sinking in 
it in some places up to our knees. 

Skilly promised (if we purchased his furs — $40 worth, Nuchek 
scale of prices) that he and three other Midnodskies would give us 
assistance in our ascent of Copper River. He agreed to carry these 
back to Alaganik and there turn them over. It was indeed consol- 
ing that these upper river natives had not returned to their homes. 

Of our reinforcement from Eyak, only two could possibly leave 
their "duty" to help us, and with these we prepared to start off again 
at flood tide. After wading out to our stores, we found the after- 
noon tide not high enough to float the boats, so were compelled to 
pass the night ashore, and leave at 3 a. m. the following day, 
when, after struggling against the head wind for two or three hours 
without success, the intense darkness making matters worse, we 
turned back to the camp on west side of Point Whitshed rather than 
'»• again left stranded on the mud flats. We arrived at the iwice- 
used camp, and remained until the flood morning tide, when we again 
started for the mouth of Copper River, which we fortunately reached 
1 x s U )re the tide could drop us on the mud . Had we been half an hour 
later the same fate as that of the preceding day awaited us. We 



38 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

could only know that we were in the channel of the river by the 
"wind-row" of ice piled on its west bank. A divergence of a few 
yards either to right or left was sufficient to run the boats aground. 
As we ascended this western channel it became wider and the cur- 
rent stronger. The floating ice at times compelled us to entirely 
suspend rowing. We tried "cordelling," which was unsatisfactory 
on account of ice and numerous deep inlets along the banks. 

About 7 p. m., after having rowed continuously for thirteen hours, 
we were stopped by an ice blockade. We had made our mid-day 
meal on hard bread in the boats. Had we been inclined to cook, the 
absence of timber of any description would have prevented it. As 
we were entering the mouth of Copper River, natives from the hunt, 
who had heard of our plans, began to assemble. Some of these had 
been seen by us off Hawkins Island. In their small canoes they 
found no difficulty in reaching Sakhalis in advance of us. At the 
proper place they carried their canoes up the muddy banks to the 
marshy flats, partly covered with ice and snow, and then made their 
way by foot to Sakhalis. 

Our immediate objective was Alaganik, further up, and our sup- 
plies were not then so scanty as those of the natives; hence our 
dependence, unlike theirs, was water transportation. After reaching 
the blockade the stores were unloaded and piled on the muddy bank, 
with nothing to protect them from the mud and rain except the 
three tent-poles and the tent-fly. We had been exposed to the storm 
for four days; our clothes were completely saturated; some of us, too, 
had been in the water up to our necks, and here we were entirely 
^without firewood. 

Under the guidance of the "Old Man" and the Eyaks we started 
afoot for Sakhalis over this flat, barren of everything except swamp 
grass and a wonderful mixture of ice, snow, mud, and water, made 
worse by the continous rain and sleet of the past four days. Dark- 
ness was on us, and our little party of nine divided into three to try 
and find this village. After two hours' wandering it was found in a 
small ' i patch " of undergrowth, and consisted of two so-called houses, 
very small and equally crowded. These were each about 12 by 13 
feet, and in the one where I slept were twenty-nine natives, ten dogs, 
and the household effects. The "Old Man" and one native strayed 
and were compelled to weather the storm without fire or shelter. 

Here I was delighted to find two Midnodskies, whom I employed, 
with all other available hands, to assist in transporting the supplies 
to Alaganik. The following morning great difficulty was experi- 
enced in getting the natives to leave the fire. On account of the 
packed ice our boats could be of no further service to us, and like- 
wise the natives from Nuchek, who by this time were completely 
exhausted. The "Old Man*' and his companion, that had strayed, 
appeared about 10 o'clock in the morning, just able to stand. We 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 39 

had not expected to see them again. We had employed them to go 
as far as Alaganik, bnt being by this time entirely useless, they were 
dismissed. 

The stores were carried along the bank of the stream as far as a large 
slongh from the west wonld permit and deposited in the mud, to be yet 
further damaged by the incessant, business-like rain. Some of the 
natives carried their packs about one-third the distance to the slough, 
deposited them, and returned to Sakhalis without even the ceremony 
of leave-taking. I gave up all hopes of getting the stores to Alaganik 
this day, so went thither (in a canoe which luck had seemed to place 
in our way) with Pete as interpreter. Before starting I had exacted 
a promise from the remaining natives to return on the morrow and 
give us assistance to Alaganik. I declined, contrary to their expec- 
tations, to reward them for their services until they had completed 
the task. We reached Alaganik at dark, and found Kawkus and 
Skilly, who seemed wholly unable to appreciate our hurry; nor could 
they give us any information concerning the condition of the ice on 
the river above. At this point there was no ice, but I attributed it 
to the effect of the tide, which was appreciable. At this village were 
only five men, all of whom I engaged, and started down the river in 
canoes the following morning to the stores. Between the point of 
first landing of stores and the slough were two ice-gorges, so that the 
first ' i deposit " required another portage before it could be placed in 
canoes. Of course, those at the slough had also to be carried quite a 
distance. By using all the available natives of the two villages, and 
by the diligent work of my party, the stores were finally landed at 
Alaganik on March 27. 

Since the evening of departure from Nuchek, March 20, we had 
beencontinually exposed to sleet and rain, driven by strong south- 
east wind, which rendered the limbs numb and action at times almost 
impossible. On one occasion each of the party tried to light a match, 
but all failed on account of numbness and moisture. These days were 
severe ones, but an excellent discipline for the even more trying work 
that was soon to follow. 

Though nearly all the inhabitants of Sakhalis had moved up to 
Alaganik, only six men were then available for our purposes. These 
promised one hour to go, the next refused all connection with the ex- 
pedition. In order to persuade them that it was a great privilege I 
was extending, I decided to take only five, and had them draw lots to 
determine the one that was to remain. This had the desired effect, 
though I would gladly have employed ten instead of five. 

The Midnooskies, four men and a woman, Skilly's following then at 
Alaganik, were also unwilling to start in the rain. Several times 
they promised to move, but when the time fixed arrived they had 
numerous excuses to explain their unwillingness to go on. The Mid- 
nooskies told me at the last minute that they were not going back 



40 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

until the trading party of May arrived from above. All agreed that 
there was no ice in the river anywhere, and that the small canoes 
were unfit for its ascent. This was extremely exasperating. 

Lieutenant Abercrombie says of the coast people : "These natives 
are inveterate liars, and were they not cowards we would stand a very 
indifferent prospect of exploring the country with their aid to any 
extent. "" 

On the morning of the 28th, with a native, I went 4 miles up the 
river in a canoe, when we met a man returning, who informed us that 
he had been up many miles, and that there was no ice. 

alAgAnik to tArAl. 

After returning, I decided to make a start in canoes, carrying sleds 
which could be used if ice were found. Private Fickett was to be left 
behind with most of the stores, with orders to join us at Taral in Mav 
or June, when the Copper River natives would be returning. Two 
Midnooskies were induced to help us. On the morning of the 29th, 
the party, consisting of three white men, Sergeant Robertson, Peder 
Johnson, and myself, five coast natives, and two Midnooskies, started 
in five canoes, carrying two men and about two hundred pounds of 
provisions and baggage each. With this last were sleds and snow- 
shoes. 

After an ascent of 6 miles up the river, NNE., the channel became 
too shallow for navigation, and a portage was necessitated. This 
brought us to another channel, partly covered with ice, and here the 
sleds were first used. Two canoes were carried across the portage and 
utilized on the water on top of the ice. There was very little snow 
at this point, so that we were able to cany large loads on the sleds. 
Sergeant Robertson was sent back for other sleds and more flour. 
Pete was finally sent back for Fickett, with instructions to bring for- 
ward all the provisions possible. At first this method of transpor- 
tation seemed very favorable, but the continued increase of depth of 
soft snow made progress very difficult. Fickett left Alaganik with 
Pete and one Indian, in the afternoon, but did not reach camp until 
daylight the following morning. On his sled were about 450 pounds 
of supplies, with which they struggled to camp. The rains had made 
the snow so soft that most of the time the top strips of the sleds were 
on the snow, and at times sleds and provisions were below the surface. 
Our transportation now consisted of six sleds, three similar to those 
used by the miners of the Stickeen River, one a native sled, and two 
made by cutting a canoe in two parts and then sloping off the tops 
from bow and stern respectively, thus making a kind of toboggan. 
It was soon evident that the greatest amount the best sleds would carry 
and make headway was 150 pounds. Even with this they would 
break through the soft snow. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 41 

On the morning of the 30th of March we abandoned about one- 
half of onr ammunition, cooking outfit, food, clothing, &c. A few 
hours later we abandoned our tent and more clothing and food, and 
then had with us about 150 pounds of flour, 100 pounds of beans, 40 
pounds of rice, two sides of bacon, 15 pounds of tea, some. Liebig's 
extract of beef, deviled ham, and chocolate. The three Midnooskies 
who had remained at Alaganik now joined us, but could give very 
little assistance on account of their own loads. A pack of 50 pounds 
on the back was, under the circumstances, as much as the strongest 
man could carry. In consequence of the water flowing over the ice, 
it became necessary to frequently cross from one side of the river to 
the opposite bank and to go from one channel to another. On two 
occasions we were compelled to improvise a bridge of drift timber 
to cross some of the channels, and frequently all our stores were 
dragged through water up to our hips. Our camps, without tentage 
of any description save our ponchos, on such snow as then existed, 
with an incessant precipitation of rain or sleet driven by strong wind, 
for discomfort beggars description. It was impossible to dry our 
clothes, a fact that one and all soon recognized, and while we hugged 
the fire closely, it was principally to fry a piece of bacon or bake a 
" flap-jack" (griddle-cake), operations in which we all took part. 
As soon as the meal was completed each sought his blankets and in 
a few minutes was fast asleep, though bedding and clothes were 
saturated. 

On the night of the 31st of March we camped on the east bank of 
the east channel, opposite a point midway between two glaciers, one 
of which the natives say unites with the northern extremity of Sheri- 
dan's Glacier ; the other, they say, heads near Eyak Lake. The most 
northerly of these two was called Goodman's Glacier by Lieutenant 
Abercrombie (to whom I am indebted for photography of Copper 
River below canon of his name), and is only 3 or 4 miles below the 
southern point of Child's Glacier. 

Lieutenant Abercrombie's description of Copper River as seen in 
July at this place is as follows : 

Crossed the river and commenced the ascent of the mountain range on our left 
flank, which is from 2,500 to 3,000 feet in altitude. In the afternoon we came to a 
perpendicular wall, which forbade further ascent, but we had gained a sufficient 
altitude to see, far to the northeast, a high wall of ice, visible as far back as the eye 
(aided with a field glass) could see. To the north and almost joining the glacier on 
the northeast, we saw another monster moving off to the northeast. In our front, 
or east, lay a collection of thousands of small islands, covered as before described, 
varying from one-sixteenth of an acre to fifty acres in size, surrounded by a light- 
gray liquid, varying in breadth from a mile to a small stream, and in depth being 
about 3 feet here and about 18 inches further down. This was Copper River, that 
we thought might be ascended in a steamer for 50 or 100 miles ! 

On the morning of April 1 we left camp with the storm more 
severe than ever, the precipitation having changed to snow. Re- 



42 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

marks about the day of the month, surroundings, and ourselves were 
in order. After crossing the river twice, we began the portage over 
the huge deposit directly opposite Child's Glacier, the condition of 
the ice in front of this forbidding an attempt along the river. This 
deposit was considerably elevated above the river-bed, and overgrown 
with small timber, which was so thick as to be a great impediment to 
the movement of our sleds. 

Child's Glacier marks the first point in the ascent of Copper River 
at which only a single channel exists. From this point down the 
river varies in width from half a mile to fifteen between extreme 
channels. On my map I have, as far up as the glaciers, largely fol- 
lowed Lieutenant Abercrombie, but to claim that this delta mouth 
is accurately mapped would be a great assumption. 

At Child's Glacier the river has a decided easterly course to Miles' 
Glacier, which is just north of the "portage deposit," and from it 
resumes its northerly course. The river between Child's Glacier and 
this deposit is about 125 yards in width, but just north of this and 
west of Miles' Glacier the bed is approximately 800 yards wide, with 
several channels studded with huge, well-worn bowlders or slicken- 
sides. 

On the night of April 2 we went into camp on an enormous pile 
of immense rocks, heaped up in the center of the river-bed. On the 
east side of these was a very small and narrow channel ; on the west 
the width does not exceed 50 yards ; and this is Copper River. Its 
depth must be great, though the ice forbade our march over it and 
consequently any attempt to determine it. I have called this re- 
markable gorge "Abercronibie's Canon." A few miles below this 
place Lieutenant Abercrombie describes the river as follows : 

The river here narrows down to 150 yards from edge to edge of water, the differ- 
ence in summer and fall being 20 yards. The spring rise is more than 40 feet, and 
the current runs from 10 to 15 miles an hour in the center of the stream at high 
water. This unusual rate causes a swash that throws the water up the rocky bank 
10 or 15 feet, and the receding water carries every comparatively light obstacle, 
that is, bowlders weighing 700 or 800 pounds, back into the river. 

The season of the year prevented our seeing such phenomena, 
though the swiftness of the running current was attested by the 
jamming and piling of ice 3 to 4 feet in thickness, the river above 
being yet closed. 

Every morning before leaving camp I had the same scene with 
the natives, who were loath to leave their forms, and protested 
that we could not go farther. On the morning of the 3d day of 
April, after a terrible night, so reluctant were they to leave that I 
was compelled to pull down the small pieces of shelter they had 
erected and drag each one from his resting place onto the snow. 

' Our only fuel at the "rocky camp" was a very limited amount of 
drift-wood, No place in it could be found which would permit us 



c 




m 



i'i 






ISIS 



^i*-. 



HlS 

| 



v :; .:,;«> 








RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 43 

to lie at full length, so our night was passed on our haunches, in a 
severe storm of snow and rain. At this time we had not learned to 
sleep "doubled up," as do the natives, and if we had the storm 
would have prevented it. The result was a night of watching and 
longing for day, with clothes as thoroughly saturated as though we 
had slept in the river. The coast natives had, of course, suffered 
with the rest of us, and were for some time disposed to go south to 
their friends, rather than north among people whom they feared. 
We were expecting to find plenty of food — they knew better — at Ta- 
ral. Finally, all were started over the mass of huge rocks, covered 
with snow, most miserable for sleds, and worse for the motive power 
drawing them. At times it became necessary to take off the snow- 
shoes ; then the probability of going down between large rocks every 
few steps could be readily determined. After an hour or two of this 
kind of work it was found necessary to make a portage of 400 yards 
along the west side of the rocks, next to the main channel, after which 
we again began sledding, and were soon without Abercrombie Canon, 
and to our great delight the weather was partly clear. All were 
encouraged and worked with renewed zeal. 

For the first 4 miles the course was due east, next 2 E1STE. next 
NE., and we were at a second canon or narrows, called by me 
Baird Canon, in honor of Prof. S. F. Baird, of the Smithsonian 
Institute. We camped at this canon on west side of river, near 
a pile of drift-wood, on snow 4 feet deep. At sunset a heavy snow- 
storm set in, which by morning had completely covered us. From 
this time forward our sleeping-bags, of linen, made waterproof, 
were very useful. Their length was 6-J- feet, and their circumfer- 
ence suffic- nt not to cramp the arms and body. There were holes 
at the top for the introduction of a gathering string. For use the 
blankets were adjusted in the bags, then the feet were inserted be- 
tween the proper folds, and the body shoved in. Generally a pon- 
cho was pulled over the head of the "bed" in place of closing the 
bag. The 4th of April was the first day that we caught a glimpse of 
the sun from the time of our departure from Nuchek, March 20, and 
the first day or night that was free from a precipitation in some 
form. 

The glaciers mark the change of climate between coast and in- 
:erior. We hailed the sun with joy, not alone on account of personal 
comfort, but through a desire to secure observations for position, 
'he camp at Baird's Canon was at the foot of a vegetation-covei<<l 
;lacier which extended along the river for G or 7 miles. A short 
listance above the canon the width of the river is 2 miles, with 
two small streams emptying into it on the east side. This widened 
)art, or lake, extends about G miles. Twelve miles above Aber- 
•rombie's Canon we obtained our first observations for latitude. At 
the "lake" the river has a width of about 1,000 yards, with high 



44 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

mountains on each, side, and here the glacier system is practically 
passed. At the head, on the east bank, is a very prominent rocky 
point, which seems, when viewed from the south, to jut out into the 
river, but which really helps to inclose the lake-like river. 

We now found the snow firmer than any we had passed, and early 
in the morning, while the freezing of the previous night still had its 
effect, would support the weight of the sleds. The snow on the river 
along the lake was 4£ feet deep. In order to make the most of this 
good snow we did not halt to cook a mid-day meal where we could 
have obtained some small green wood, but continued our journey, 
satisfying the appetite with some beans boiled the night before. 
Hoping to find wood, we marched until 10 p. m., by which time it 
had become very cold, and our snow-shoes were rendered worse 
than useless. The sun during the day had melted the snow consid- 
erably, and as it began to freeze again it would clog on the snow- 
shoes. All efforts to prevent this, by continually striking them on 
the sides with a stick carried for that purpose, failed. Without the 
snow-shoes every few steps would send us into the snow up to our 
hips. Some of the sleds did not reach camp until midnight, and so 
exhausted were the men drawing them that they were compelled to 
lie outstretched on the sno*w several times within a few hundred 
yards of camp. 

Our labors, so severe thus far, were barely begun ; yet at this time 
I felt the greatest satisfaction in knowing that the doubt of reaching 
Taral by snow was eliminated. Had the party been delayed a week 
longer there would have been no possibility of seeing Taral until 
after the ice had gone out, and in such an event the party would 
probably have been compelled to pass the winter of 1885-'8G in the 
interior of Alaska. Two days, or even one night, might have suf- 
ficed to put the river in such a state as to have caused this delay. As 
it was, we were compelled to bridge channels to cross them, and at 
one of these places one of my natives barely escaped by being fortunate 
enough to grasp the edge of the ice as he was being washed down. 

Unable to obtain wood, we were compelled to exist on a half meal 
of beans from 6 a. m. of the 4th until 10 a. m. of the 5th. We had 
halted but six hours during that time. Exhaustion was preying se- 
verely on the party when we stopped to take a meal just north of the 
Tetahena, a stream of considerable importance entering the river 
on the east, 14 miles north of Baird's Canon. The Midnodskies had 
informed us that this river broke earlier than the Copper, and that 
we would probably not be able to pass it. The Tasnuna flows in 
from the west side, about 3 miles to the north, and is much smaller, 
though the appearance from the south does not indicate it. The 
Copper River, near the junction, is 1-j- or 2 miles wide. 

On the ice of the Copper River, opposite the mouth of the Teta- 
hena, was water covered with ice about one inch thick. The Midnods- 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 45 

kies would not give us assistance over this, or even wait to show us 
the route they had taken. With the aid of a long stick we would 
punch through the thin ice to find the shallowest water, following 
the navigable channels as determined by this novel "lead-line." 
Some places, where the old ice was far below the new, were passed 
on hands and knees. With the stick we found that the Tetahena 
had several channels at its mouth, some of which were entirely open 
in the center. The only point at which to pass it was several hun- 
dred yards from the land, for the nearer the shore the more open 
was the Tetahena. The passing of it was very risky. 

Having thoroughly satisfied our enforced hunger, and jubilant at 
having passed the Tetahena, all left the mid-day halting place in 
joyful spirits. Freezing had made the snow and ice splendid, and 
for one and a half hours there was a running struggle to keep the 
lead. Occasionally the winning sled would go through the new ice, 
and the next, by making a detour, would take the lead. Sometimes 
ice that would permit rapid crossing broke when a passage was leis- 
urely attempted. 

After sunset we came to a grove of cottonwoods, which at the time 
seemed to end Copper River ; but which afterwards was found to be 
on an old island, heavily covered with timber and snow to a depth 
of 4 feet. At "Cottonwood Camp" we passed the night, wonder- 
ing what had become of Copper River. To the west of this island 
there appeared to be a very small channel, and to the east one very 
much smaller than the Copper River should be. After leaving camp 
the following morning and marching 4 miles, we came out of the 
woods and sighted Tasnuna River to the west of an island about 
3 miles long and 800 feet high, which we had supposed to be the main 
land, and between which and our camp was the above-mentioned 
small channel. West of this island is probably the principal chan- 
nel of Copper River, which was pointed out to us as the Tasnuna 
River when we were 1 south of Cottonwood Camp. The place of our 
camp was doubtless part of the same large island. 

At this time the eyes of the party, with the exception of Fickett's 
and the Midoc5skies, were a source of serious trouble, the coast na- 
tives suffering worst. The eyes of the Midnooskies were as clear and 
free from inflammation as on the day of the start from Alaganik. 
Several times I was compelled to bathe the eyes of the coast natives 
with warm water and apply some ointment before they could be 
opened after a night's sleep. Sometimes they were so much swollen 
that opening was impossible; at such times their owners must work 
behind the sleds. A free application of tea proved very beneficial. 
It is a rather remarkable fact that the coast natives should suffer 
more than the whites of the party, None of the former were ex- 
empt, while one of the latter was, 



46 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

In hauling the sleds one man usually preceded and pulled by means 
of a long string or rope, fastened to the end of each runner, and 
then passed over his breast, while the second man followed pushing 
with a long stick. The rear man could steady the sled, or right it 
when upset. Sledding even under favorable circumstances is not 
such smooth work as is generally believed. 

For several miles above and below Cottonwood Island the river- 
bed varies from one to two miles in width. Six miles above it a 
small river, with a glacier source, called Konsina, enters from the 
west side. Fifteen miles from the southern end of Cottonwood Isl- 
and the mountains again attain considerable height. The highest 
peak here was called by the natives Mkneh. Six miles farther on 
we halted for the night on a sand spit, near the mouth of a small 
stream, called by the natives Zeikhell. The general course of the 
river was, thus far, north. 

On April 7 the course from the Zeikhell to a very high mountain, 
"Spirit Mountain," on the east bank, a distance of 14 miles, was as 
follows : 4 miles NNE. ; 5 miles EKE. ; 4 miles KKE. Near the end 
of the first course were four islands, varying in height and size, 
the largest having a length of about a mile and a height of 50 feet. 
These islands have been named in honor of Sereberinikoif , the un- 
fortunate Creole, who lost his life at the hands of the inhabitants 
after having ascended the Copper River farther than any other man 
not native. These islands presented to us splendid examples of 
stratifications, the beginning of extensive faces of slate schist which 
characterize the river farther on. 

All the party now began to realize how difficult it was to make 
headway and at the same time hunt for food ; hence each one strove 
to husband the small quantity of such that remained. At this time 
we made the first attempt at eating the entrails of an animal — a por- 
cupine. They were not relished then as they were at a later stage. 
At the porcupine feast of the morning the coast natives took occa- 
sion to smear their faces with charcoal and ashes, a thing that at- 
tracted little notice at the time, and was not explained until we went 
into camp at the foot of Spirit Mountain. This was the highest 
mountain yet seen by us (2,900 feet above river-bed), and we supposed 
it to be Mount Wrangell. The coast people had some remarkable 
superstitions concerning it. Kawkus, the oldest of the coast natives, 
informed us that formerly much fire and smoke were emitted from 
the mountain, and that now terrific rumblings were at times heard, 
all the workings of a Mighty Spirit. Great alarm was manifested 
at every sound proceeding from that direction, and there were 
many, the result of snow slides. The following morning they were 
very loath to leave camp in the storm, which they attributed to the 
wrath of the "Mighty Spirit," notwithstanding we had been exposed 
to similar ones almost from the time we left Nuchek. The eyes 




9. — Wood's Canon. 






RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 47 

of nearly all were now the source of serious pain, and, singularly 
enough, more painful during a snow storm than when the sun was 
shining. 

After the natives had again besmeared their faces we left camp, 
hoping to reach Taral during the day; but after traveling until quite 
dark, went into camp at the northern end of Wood's Canon, so called 
in honor of Col. H. Clay Wood, U. S. A. 

The course during the day varied between ]STE. by N. and NNE., 
and the distance traveled was 13 miles. 

Near the middle of the march the river commenced to grow nar- 
rower, until one of the most picturesque pieces of landscape I have 
ever seen — Wood's Canon — was reached. This is about 2| miles 
long, with vertical walls of basalt and slate from 100 to 500 feet 
high. Above the limit of the vertical wall the mountains tower 
yet higher. In places the river does not exceed -40 yards in width, 
and so zigzag is the canon that in several of the chambers it is diffi- 
cult to tell the course of the river or to see more than a few rods to 
the rear or forward. In the largest chamber the greatest breadth is 
about 70 yards; on the east face was an ice river 100 feet high, 30 
feet wide, and so natural in ai3pearau.ee that it seemed to have flowed 
at one grand burst from the rugged gorge above. When in this 
vicinity the only exit at first glance seems to be in the direction of 
the ice river. 

At the upper end of Wood's Canon, 60 feet above the river-bed, 
was a welcome sight to our eyes — the first house we had seen since 
leaving Alaganik. This was a small spruce barabarra, about 11 
feet by 14, and a fair specimen of the houses of the Copper River 
natives. To get into this it was necessary to crawl through an aper- 
ture about 2-J- feet high and 2 feet wide, passing through a ' ' storm- 
chamber" about 3 feet long. There were no persons at this house, 
but in the cache were a few half -spoiled dried fish, of which we made 
a meal. This place was evidently used as a fishing station during 
the summer season. We would probably have passed by without 
having seen it had our natives not known of its existence. Our first 
impression on visiting the house was that it had not been used for 
years, but subsequent developments showed us that it had been inhab- 
ited during the preceding season, and probably many seasons in the 
past. On one of the upright pieces of the barabarra, opposite the 
entrance (the usual place for interior decoration of a Midnoosky 
dwelling), were hieroglyphics, representing men and their actions, 
which our friends interpreted and enjoyed very much. They were 
surprised that we did not understand these, and our failure to do so 
afforded more evidence to them of their superiority over us. We 
were not aware that this was also a suburb of the far-famed Taral, 
which we reached the following morning, 2\ miles farther up the 
river. 



48 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

The ice in the caiion (Wood's) and above was very perilous. In 
many places onr trail lay over detached pieces, some of which were 
on end, due to the jam. In one instance I saved myself from a cold 
and dangerous submersion by catching with my arms as I was going 
down. 

Taral, the metropolis of the Copper Kiver country, was saluted by 
us, at the urgent request of our native friends, at a distance of about 
400 yards. The natives had spoken very much of John, the pros- 
pector, and about whom they expressed fear lest famine had over- 
taken him. The answer to our salute of many rounds was a single 
shot, and finally, at the edge of the bluff above us, one man, one 
woman, and two children appeared. The man was John, certainly 
the most uncouth specimen of manhood that I had, up to that time, 
ever seen. He was a picture of wretchedness, destitution, and de- 
spair, suddenly rendered happy. John was reduced to a single round 
of powder, which he fired in answer to us, supposing that the long- 
absent natives were returning alone from Nuchek. He had sent 
down some skins by them, and had expected them back four weeks 
earlier, with a liberal supply of ammunition. In the mean time he 
had been living on rabbits which he snared, with occasionally a piece 
of dried salmon as a luxury. He was shortening his belt one hole 
every other day. At one time he declared the rabbits to have been 
very scarce, and starvation staring him in the face, a fact that his 
diary recorded. Nowhere did I ever receive such a warm greeting 
as at Taral from this naturally heroic specimen of manhood, then 
so depressed with hunger and destitution. After having satisfied 
himself and answered our many questions, he sat up or walked about 
the rest of the night. He had ascended the Copper River during the 
previous summer with the Midndoskies in a baidarra, and had reached 
Taral with about 300 pounds of provisions, which he claimed were 
stolen from the house while he was away prospecting for minerals. 
The Midnodskies, unable to reach Taral with their provisions and 
those of John, had dropped him and his at Tetahena, or Bremner 
River, to which place they afterward went back for him. He did 
not reach Taral therefore until September, by which time the cold 
had set in and prospecting was soon rendered impossible. John is a 
practical miner, having had many years' experience. He was dis^ 
posed to consider the prospects for minerals around Taral of little 
value, though eager to visit the copper region situated somewhere 
on the Chittyna River, which empties into the Copper River 3 miles 
above. 

We reached Taral April 10, with 230 pounds of food, with which 
to subsist a party of five white men and a dumber of natives until 
the Yukon River was reached, if t. .3 was possible. Our stay was 
passed in drying clothing and provisions, taking observations for 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 49 

latitude and longitude, and inspecting the nearest caches for dried 
salmon. 

The condition of the river by this time rendered sledding no longer 
practicable; besides, I was unwilling to pass such an important trib- 
utary of the Copr r River as the Chittyna without learning some- 
thing about it and the supposed stores of minerals existing thereon. 
These reasons caused me to stop progress in the direction of the main 
str?am. 

The coast natives, who had reluctantly accompanied us thus far, 
ware now 'dismissed, and with a few fish bones (the inward part of 
the fish, cured specially for dogs) set out for Alaganik, much thinner 
and more careworn than when first met by us. I considered their 
return perilous on account of the condition of the ice, a fact they 
realized. In speaking about it their faces would assume a pitiful ex- 
pression; their worn-out moccasins and bloodshot eyes were alluded 
to. Altogether I felt much concern about their safe return, and 
promised each of them part of the abandoned rations for his indi- 
vidual use. This measure was probably useless in view of the at- 
tending circumstances. Letters were sent back to the department 
commander by these natives, informing him of our future move- 
ments as far as it was possible. These arrived at Vancouver Bar- 
racks, Washington Territory, in June, 1885. 

The Midnodskies who had accompanied us, excepting Wahnie, de- 
serted us, one going up the Copper and two up the Chittyna. 

We heard much of Nicolai, the proprieter of Taral, Tyone of Chit- 
tyna, and chief trader among the natives, whom we had expected to 
find at Taral, and for whose uncertain abode on the Chittyna we 
would soon start. 

Taral proper consisted of two houses, the one occupied by John, a 
winter house, and a summer house, at the time unused. John had 
constructed within the winter house a very small log hut made from 
the dwarf spruce timber which grows in the vicinity. At a distance 
of about l£ miles from the winter house (Taral) was a spruce bough 
tepee, rectangular in plan, used by several women and children. 
Slight traces of the Russian odinatschka yet remained, also part of 
a huge Greek Catholic cross. From this place the daring Serdbe- 
rinikoff started May 16, 1848, never to return. 

Our fish buyer returned late in the evening of second day after his 
start, bringing twenty-five dried salmon, all that could be obtained, 
though he was supplied with tea and tobacco, the most precious of 
luxuries to the Midnodskies, with which to purchase them. Ten of 
these were given to the destitute women and children. Our effects. 
including 180 pounds of provisions, were cached at Taral. and we left 
the following morning to explore the Chittyna River, wil h '11 pounds 
of flour, 25 of beans, 3 of bacon, a little tea, and 15 dried salmon. 
S. Ex. 125 4 



50 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 



ALONG THE CHITTYNA RIVER. 

The party now consisted of five white men and one native. The 
packs were divided so that each man shonld carry an eqnal portion 
of baggage that was for the general welfare. An allowance of one 
blanket per man, a sleeping bag, or its equivalent, and a change of 
underwear was agreed upon for each. Carbines, pistols, ammuni- 
tion, and cooking utensils were no small part of the weight. Any 
of the party was at liberty to carry articles of "luxury," provided 
he had also his allowance. One carried an extra blanket, another 
a coat or shirt. 

From this time we began to realize the true meaning of the much- 
used expression "living upon the country. " The provisions with 
which we started could easily have been consumed by us in four 
days, but they were held as a reserve. Our main dependence was 
on rabbits, the broth of which was thickened with a handful of flour. 

The snow had nearly all disappeared on the river-bed and low- 
lands, and much of the journey was now over granitic bowlders and 
pebbles. Our feet were encased in native boots, and to persons un- 
accustomed to such footgear the use is a severe trial. 

On April 13 we came up with Skilly, the Midnoosky, who would not 
wait and start with us from Taral. He had parts of a moose that 
the wolves had killed during the winter. 

The following is from Fickett's journal: 

They had left a few scraps lying around, and these, that neither they nor their 
dogs would eat, we were forced by hunger to gather up and make a meal on. This 
is Lieutenant Allen's birthday, and he celebrated it by eating rotten moose meat. 

If we had been so fortunate as to obtain even rotten moose meat a 
few days later there would have been none of the party too dainty to 
enjoy it. There were both snow and sunshine o.x the day of the 13th; 
on the night of the same day ice froze two-thirds of an inch in 
thickness. This cold was greeted with joy, because it enabled us to 
pursue a more direct course and permitted us to walk on the ice 
rather than the pebbles, a boon to our much swollen feet. 

About noon of the 14th we passed three deserted houses on the 
south bank of the Chittyna, much concealed by a growth of cotton- 
woods and alders. Our camp was at the mouth of a small stream, 
reported to flow from a lake about 20 miles to the north of the Chit- 
tyna. This spot had b°<m chosen as a camping-ground, and had a 
bath-house erected near the spruce-bough tepee. From h<~ *e one of 
Skilly's subordinates started to the lake, where we wei e informed his 
mother lived. The name Skilly, by which we had known our native 
friend, I found to be a term applied to the near relatives of a chief. 
Our Skilly was a brother of Nicolai, wh- a we hoped to soon find, 
and upon whom great dependence for °uture assistance whilst on the 
Copper River was placed. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 51 

On the loth, we obtained observations for both, latitude and longi- 
tude. To our camp, 30 miles from Taral, the general direction was 
east southeast. We had passed through the slaty formation charac- 
teristic of Taral above and below, and had reached a point where 
.the northern bank of the river was steep, high, and of yellow clay, 
with traces of alkali. Notwithstanding the numerous bowlders and 
pebbles of granite in the bed of the river, no banks of the same mate- 
rial had yet been seen. The sun during the day had again loosened 
the ice in the river, and crossing it became very perilous. In an or- 
dinary river such frequent crossings would not have been necessary, 
but in rivers similar to the Copper or Chittyna to follow a channel, 
if it were possible, would be to add from 30 to 40 per cent, to the dis- 
tance. The beds of these rivers and their tributaries are frequently 
1 mile wide, with several channels. 

Near the end of the day's march found us with deep, impassable 
water to our front and right, and a very high, rugged point to our 
front and left. To climb this when in good physical condition, 
without packs or guns, would have been a difficult task. To cross it 
under the circumstances severely tested both the courage and strength 
of the party. The most difficult of all our endeavors, however, was 
the necessity of hunting supper at the expiration of such a day's 
march. Sometimes a halt was made during midday to hunt food 
for supper. 

On the 17th we started at 7 a. m. from the mouth of the Chittyna, 
which bore no signs of breaking up, and having marched 5 miles, 
went into camp. The following is from Fickett's journal: 

Rotten moose meat would be a delicacy now. So weak from hunger that we 
had to stop at noon to hunt. All so weak that we were dizzy, and would stagger 
like drunken men. 

Fortunately, an old woman brought into camp a small piece of 
meat and a moose's nose, which, with the rabbits we killed, consid- 
erably strengthened us. The old woman was Wahnie's mother, who 
was in camp a few miles from the river. The latter, while out hunt- 
ing, had gone to her brush house and told her to bring over the 
meat. She reluctantly obeyed, crying in a plaintive voice, ' ' Skunkai 
deschane keelan" ("My children are very hungry"). 

The hunting party, for such it was we were near, consisted of two 
incn. two women, and a number of children. They had been very 
unsuccessful in hunting, and were accordingly in reduced circum- 
stances; yet we obtained of them a little meat. Our importunities for 
more were silenced by the verification of the old woman's sentence. 

One of the men of the party was a " skilly "; the other unfitted by 

age for carrying a pack. From them I learned that Nicolai was on 

■ the headwaters of the Chittystone, near the mouth of which we had 

camped the previous day. At one time they would tell us thai 

Nicolai had "Tenayga keelan" ("Moose plenty"), at another that 



52 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

" Mcolai deschane keelan" (" Mcolai is very hungry"). At this camp 
the skilly, who had been with us at times since our start in canoes 
from Alaganik, left us to go to his house on the central fork of the 
Chittyna, at a distance of 1-J suns. Upon the northern fork — the 
Chittystone River, so called by us on account of the copper ore found 
by the natives near it — was the home of Mcolai. The southern 
fork, we were informed, was uninhabited, and must, from the re- 
ports of the natives and configuration of the country, have its source 
a little to the north and west of Mount St. Elias. The central fork is 
the principal one, or Chittyna River, and from Skilly's house to its 
glacier source is 1 sun, making a total of 2-J suns from the confluence 
of the Chittystone. From the confluence of the Chittystone to the 
source of the southern fork is about 1-J suns. From our camp, 5 
miles above the Chittystone's mouth, to Mcolai's house, via the port- 
age, is also about 1-J suns. His house is near the glacier source of 
the tributary. By the term sun, as used above, the Midnodskies 
mean a day's march. In making short inarches the Midnodskies, as 
do most of the natives of the Tanana, travel with remarkable speed, 
but they never load themselves with weight to exceed 20 pounds. 
Generally they carry, besides a very light gun, only a skin blanket, 
with dimensions of 4 by o feet. I do not refer to the men slaves, 
who bear packs equal to those of the women. A day's march with 
them is so very variable that we had no definite mode of arriving at 
the distances to the sources of the tributaries except by reduction of 
the time it required us to reach Mcolai's home; and using this as a 
standard, I have traced in dotted lines the supposed courses of the 
tributaries. Had I considered it prudent to attempt the source of 
Central Fork, subsisting on rabbits alone, with no prospects of any 
other food, the chart would not now show dotted lines. The party 
was daily growing weaker on account of an insufficient quantity of 
food. 

The skilly of this camp, after much persuasion and rewards, was 
induced to go with us to Mcolai's, but would carry nothing except 
the "white ty one's" pack (mine). I was much degraded in his 
eyes by carrying a pack of any description, and yet more so when I 
shouldered the moose meat we had obtained from him. On April 18 
we started overland for Mcolai's. For an hour our course lay along 
the south bank of the Chittyna, then across it, over the treacherous 
ice, to the north bank, into a wood of dwarf spruces and deep moss. 
After an hour's marching through this we unexpectedly found our- 
selves on a high bank of the Chittyna, from which with the field 
glasses we could see the locality pointed out to us as the junction of 
the central and southern forks. The distance, in a right line, I es- 
timated to be 20 miles. From this point the bearing of the junction 
was SE. by S. and our course for the rest of the day was as nearly 
constant as trail-travel can be, and was about E. 20 1ST. 




' ' ( i\ s 



i 1 '■!iiiiiii;iiiiiiiiii!!ii 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 53 

There was no trail and nothing to indicate the way save the blazing 
of the trees, which had evidently been done only a few weeks pre- 
vious. When we halted for onr noon meal a considerable quantity 
of the moose meat and two or three blue grousa were eaten, yet our 
hunger was not appeased. The skilly, soon after the halt, had fainted 
away, and remained in this condition during most of the meal. 
Wahnie felt much uneasiness concerning him, but most of the party 
seemed to realize the old maxim: "All is for the best." Certainly 
the portion of the meal intended for him was relished by us. 

We left camp the following morning at 6 o'clock, and after march- 
ing about 7 miles found the strength of the entire party nearly 
exhausted. All of us now realized that a diet of meat alone should 
be very abundant to produce the necessary working strength. After 
consuming all the food on hand, we started off with the hopes that 
Nicolai would have something for us, and we were not disappointed. 

The last 5 miles of our march was either on the ice of the Chitty- 
stone or very near the river. Many rounds of ammunition were fired 
by us in answer to Nicolai's salute. On occasions of this kind a Mid- 
nodsky will fire his last charge of powder, though hunger stare him 
in the face. It is courtesy that each shot be answered, and the num- 
ber of shots with them, as with more civilized people, indicates the 
rank of the tyone. On one occasion, on the north side of the Alaskan 
Mountains, probably one hundred and fifty shots were fired to wel- 
come us. Long before we had reached the source of Copper River, 
I was compelled to limit the number of shots, lest our supply of am- 
munition be too much reduced. We were always so delighted to 
arrive at a settlement that a celebration of some sort seemed very 
appropriate; moreover, it was claimed the greater the demonstration 
we made, the more food we would obtain. 

It is also en regie among the natives to provide some kind of re- 
freshments on the arrival of a guest, and we early learned to expect 
it as a matter of course. After having been once so entertained any 
subsequent meal must be purchased, and that at a very dear price. 
They realized our necessity and made the most of it. 

To reach Nicolai's house we had inarched a distance of 30 miles, 
and on finding on the fire a kettle with capacity of about 5 gallons, 
filled with meat, we were happy. The allowance of this per man, 
oxclusive of the broth, of which we drank large quantities, could not 
have been less than 5 pounds. Much of it was fat or tallow run into 
the small intestines of the moose. All immediately fell asleep after 
eating, and on awakening were nearly as hungry as before. The 
donation of such a quantity of meat was frequently cited by Nicolai 
to show how great a tyone he was. More will be said of him, liis 
people, and surroundings under the head of "Natives." 

We soon examined the contents of the surrounding caches, and 



54 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

from our inspection of them concluded onr guns must be largely 
depended upon to win us our food. 

The 20th being stormy, the party rested, and. gorged itself on moose, 
beaver, lynx, and rabbits, cooked entirely in native style, which does 
not reject in their preparation the entrails in toto of the last-named 
animals. 

After much talking with Mcolai, he promised to make a baidarra 
of moose skins and go with us as far as Taral, but would not agree 
to ascend the Copper River. On examining the river we found that 
the ice would not permit the use of a baidarra. Mcolai wanted to 
postpone the start for twenty days, but finally, through fear that we 
would go to Taral before him, consented to begin the construction of 
the boat immediately. We were supposed to be in the heart of the 
mineral region, south of the Alaskan Mountains. This subject will 
receive attention further on. 

While lying over at Mcolai's, awaiting the going out of the ice 
and the making of the baidarra, observations for position, hunting, 
repairing clothes, and making moccasins were the chief occupations. 
We found that the Chittystone had three forks, nearly equal in size, 
and that each one had a glacier source; that the principal mountain 
range, as seen from near one of these glaciers, makes an angle of 
about 30° with the general course of the river. 

We were informed by Mcolai that tebay (a variety of sheep, 
described under the heading "Animals") were plentiful; repeated 
attempts to obtain them resulted in two only being brought in during 
our stay. Rabbits were now, as heretofore, our chief support. 

April 26 found Mcolai's "larder" nearly empty, and though the 
^baidarra was about completed, a further postponement until the 28th 
was agreed upon to enable us to obtain some food. Fickett, Mcolai, 
and two natives started out with the intention of reaching the home 
of the tebay and hunting on the 27th; but snow falling to the depth 
of 4 inches, and being accompanied by a strong wind, prevented 
hunting on the craggy peaks frequented by these animals. 

On the 27th our host's two wives and four children started afoot 
over the trail we had so recently traveled. They were to be joined 
by us at the mouth of the Chittystone. On the 28th we started down 
the Chittystone River in our baidarra, covered with untanned moose 
skins. Its length was 27 feet, beam 5, and depth 22 inches. This 
boat was our only means of transportation from this time until May 
31, when it was abandoned near the headwaters of the Copper River. 
It deserves a description. The framework, including keel, ribs, gun- 
wale, &c, were constructed with no other tools than an ax and knives, 
which were of native manufacture. The assembling was done entirely 
by means of rawhide strings and willow sprouts. The seams in the 
cover were double sewed, and with sinew. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 55 

The skins, after being sewed, were placed in the river, where they 
remained several days prior to the stretching over the very flexible 
frame. The sewing is work allotted to the women, bnt an art in 
which the men are proficient. It wonld not be considered disgraceful 
for a man to sew, provided no woman is present; otherwise his self- 
respect wonlcl not permit him to nse the awl and sinew. The skins 
were not in anywise cut to fit the boat; four skins were used; hence 
the boat contained three double seams. The fitting was due to the 
elasticity of the rawhide. This was made taut by rawhide thongs, 
passeu successively through holes in the skins, then under the side 
pieces. The surplus skin at the bow and stern was folded so as to 
offer as little resistance as possible to the current, special care in this 
respect having been given to the bow. The boat, when completed, 
was very flexible and unsightly, but proved to be one of the hardiest 
small crafts I have ever seen. 

The Chittystone, like the Chittyna and Copper, has in places a very 
wide bed, with numerous channels. Our boat, though flat-bottomed, 
grounded frequently, when it became necessary for all to step out 
into the channel and wade. During our first half day down the Chit- 
tystone we might have been designated as either a boating or wading 
party. Could all the channels of water, however, have been united 
there would have been no grounding. The current would easily 
average 6 miles per hour. The ice along the edges of the channel 
was from 4 to 6 feet thick, and largely the result of the solidification 
of snow. On one occasion, by holding to the rope, we permitted the 
boat to pass, stern forward, under an ice bridge. 

Six miles below Nicolai's a small tributary of deep yellow color 
enters. Mcolai called it the Chittyto (Copper Water), and says 
that copper gives it its peculiar color, and causes the water to be so 
distasteful to salmon that they never ascend the stream. Its entire 
length is probably not more than 15 miles. 

When 10 miles down the back bearing showed Nicolai's house to 
be due east. The run of the day was about 45 miles, though the 
right-line distance would probably not exceed 20 miles. From camp 
the back bearing to Nicolai's house was 5° south of east. 

At night a snow of 2 or 3 inches fell, and Nicolai was loath to start 
the following morning, declaring during my conversation with him 
that a tyone should not be ordered. When he saw our stores loaded 
in his boat he sullenly decided to put in his property and accompany 
us. After a run of 25 miles in a torrent, most of which was through 
zigzag canons, we were halted by ice, three-quarters of a mile from 
the Chittyna. During the run down the river our aristocratic com- 
panion, to his great pride, acted as captain of the crew and gave all di- 
rections, which could be abbreviated into three phases: "To Kwiil-le," 
"ToKeelan,"and"A-t(5." The first means shallow water; the second, 
deep water; the third, paddle (verb). If the channel were difficult, 



56 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

in a loud voice he would repeat several times "A-td." The shorter 
the turns and narrower the channel, the more necessary to have the 
speed of the boat exceed the rate of the current, a fact well known 
to our experienced captain. Lessons in steering from Mcolai proved 
of great value in running the rapids of the Tanana, down which the 
natives could not be induced to go. 

After having waited a few hours for the ice to go out, and realizing 
no advantage by our delay, we carried our boat and baggage to the 
north bank of the Chittyna, at its junction with the Chitty stone, and 
went into camp. At night we were joined by the two wives and 
several children of Nicolai, with their dogs, which were packed after 
the manner of a mule pack-train. An investigation showed that the 
ice in the Chittyna would not allow the use of a boat, and a consid- 
erable delay seemed inevitable. Several observations for longitude 
and latitude were taken at this camp. In the afternoon a boat-load 
of natives, the ones we had seen at our last camp on the Chittyna 
before starting for Mcolai's, passed us, but were halted a few miles 
below by the ice. At 3 p. m. we started out with the boat well 
loaded, carrying, besides our own party, two men, two women, five 
children, twelve dogs, and the worldly possessions of all. 

After a descent of about 4 miles the ice forbade further progress. 
It was impossible to land on the south side, where timber was near; 
so we were compelled to carry our scanty bedding and camping effects 
1 mile to a rabbit patch on the north side. At camp we obtained 
quite a quantity of tomba, a peculiar variety of haw, that the storms 
of winter had not been able to beat off the bushes. 

The following morning found us very hungry. We were joined 
by the baidarra of natives and started down stream together, after 
having eaten the piece of meat obtained from the skilly. This second 
boat, though not so large as ours, had equally as heavy a load. Our 
camarades de voyage and our own party made a sight sufficiently 
picturesque to even call forth remarks from several of a party more 
interested in matters appealing to the stomach than to the mind. 

The run of the day was about 22 miles, with a bearing varying from 
W. 25 S. to W. by N. The ice having disappeared from the river, now 
revealed a swift current, averaging about 6 miles per hour. The 
mountains facing the south were nearly cleared of snow to a line 
midway between timber line and summit. Nearly all the snow and 
ice in the river-bed had disappeared. The natives informed us that 
this river broke before the Copper, and started the ice below Taral. 
A strong wind up the river lifted so much dust from the sand islands 
of the river that it was scarcely possible to see to steer. Oh this river 
we also had occasional groundings. The dust and a desire to again 
try for tebay sent us into an early camp. 

May 3 was passed in the camp, with the party suffering from severe 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 57 

pains across the loins. The rest at night was much broken by the 
frequent action of the kidneys. 

The natives returned from the hunt with six tebay, all of which 
were much smaller than the one John had killed. On May 4 we left 
camp, contrary to the wishes of our native friends, in quite a snow- 
storm, which turned into a rain towards the middle of the day. 
About 4 miles below camp we passed the mouth of a small stream 
that had not been seen when ascending. The natives informed us 
that there were tebay on it, and I have called it Tebay Creek. Four 
miles farther down we again passed the sweat-house camp, near the 
small river which I have called Dora Creek, in honor of a friend. 
General course during the day was a little north of west. The river 
possesses some very decided turns and many small rapids. At the 
junction of the Copper and Chittyna Rivers it is difficult to deter- 
mine, when the channels are partially filled with ice, which is the 
largest. I was in doubt for a while as to which should be called 
Copper River, especially since the Indian name Chittyna means 
"Copper River." Subsequent events showed the western tributary 
to be much larger, and on this account I have continued it by the 
better known though improper name. 

We reached Taral late in the afternoon, to find our cache just as 
we had left it. 

TARAL TO THE TEZLINA RIVER. 

The day after landing at Taral was passed in writing letters, taking 
observations for position, taking photographs, and recuperating as 
much as possible on " white mans food." As usual, the natives were 
reluctant to start. Besides our own party we had Mcolai, Wahnie, 
and two other Indians. We now began work of a new kind, viz, 
cordelling, or tracking. Nicolai continued as steersman, and one other 
of the party remained in the bow with a long pole. The rest of the 
party pulled on the rope, which was about 150 feet long. We had 
not fully realized the strength of the current until now. A meas- 
urement showed a current of from 7 to 9 miles per hour. This 
velocity was obtained by measuring a distance along the bank, and 
observing the time required by a stick in passing over a corresponding 
portion of the river. The entire absence of canoes on Copper River 
is evidence of the swiftness of its current. The usual communication 
of the natives is afoot in ascending and by raft in descending. The 
baidarra is used for transportation to the trading station, Nuchek, 
and when an extended descent of the river is made. If it is used in 
ascending, it is always cordelled. The subject of "communication 
and transportation" is more fully given in another part. 

( )ne mile above the mouth of the Chittyna a torrent empties from 
the east side; from its mouth the bearing of Mount Wrangell is N. 



58 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

10° E. From our camp, the home of an old man and his family, the 
bearing of the same is N. 20° E. From this time until the Yukon 
River was reached, we never failed to purchase or trade for all food 
the natives possessed, or would consent to let us have. At this old 
man's there was none. The settlement numbered nine in all. 

At noon the next day we reached Messala's house, on the east bank, 
at the mouth of a small creek. Until within the past few years he 
had been head chief of the Atnatanas ; but infirmity had deposed 
him, and left Conaguanta and Nicolai the principal men. He is the 
chief that led the natives in one of the Russian massacres, and mani- 
fested fear on my arrival, lest my mission had to do with him. After 
he had learned my business he seemed much easier, and wept at being 
able to offer us only half a dried salmon each. His face yet bears the 
characteristics of a man well fitted to rule. Both he and his wife are 
blind. 

From the first camp above Taral (Camp No. 1) to Messala's the 
general course is N. by W., with two rather marked curves ; from 
Messala's to Camp 2, at an Indian house, the course is NW. i° W. 
and about 6 miles. Vegetation had now begun to respond to the 
spring sun, and the "Natural Terraces " just below Camp 2, with their 
greenish grass covering, were a pleasing sight. These terraces present 
the same appearance as would the front of a huge earth fortification. 
The uniformity of the two slopes, one above the other, the uniform 
height of each parapet for several hundred yards, would seem to in> 
dicate the work of man rather than that of nature. At the camp a 
single woman was the only inhabitant, her husband having gone on 
a hunt. Camp No. 3, 7 miles farther up the river, four of these lying 
In direction W. ^° N., three OW., was just above Konsina Creek, 
a small stream emptying on the west side. 

Camp No. 4 found us at Liebigstag's settlement, the most populous 
one yet met, numbering 30, including men, women, and children. 
Liebigstag, the Tyone of this settlement, is nearly an equal in rank 
to Nicolai, though not nearly such a diplomat. A. part of his con- 
stituency is on the flat on the east bank, just above the torrent stream 
flowing into the river almost directly from the northern base of 
Mount Wrangell. His summer headquarters was on the west bank, on 
the very edge of a bluff 000 feet high, as determined by a barometer. 
From our camp on the flat we could barely hear the reports of guns 
fired as a salute to us. Our approach had been heralded by two men 
whom we had met a number of miles down the river. These acknowl- 
edged allegiance to Liebigstag, and considered it their duty to im- 
mediately change their plans, return, and inform their sovereign of 
such a previously unknown event. Sereberinikoff possessed the most 
Caucasian blood of any one that had ever visited these regions. We 
were invited to Liebigstag's house on the bluff. To cross and recross 
the river here was no easy task, yet Fickett and myself, with Nicolai 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 59 

and several natives, attended the feast, and a bountiful one it was. 
Never have I known lines of caste to be so rigidly drawn as with 
these people. I was considered the chief, and in ascending the bluff, 
natives had come down to escort us up and carry my bed. Two half- 
grown boys preceded to the summit, then took station on each side 
of the trail till I had passed between them and had entered the 
spruce-bough tepee. There I found all allotted places according to 
rank ; Liebigstag and blood relatives on the right side, "retainers to 
camp " on the left. Places on his left and right respectively were 
reserved for Nicolai and myself. Fickett was assigned a place with 
the -oi polloi. 

I did not have time nor was it in my instructions to attempt any 
reform in their social or political customs: yet had we been less de- 
pendent on the natives I should certainly have let them understand 
that the ablest worker was the chief est man, rather than continually 
make presents to the recognized tyones. On one occasion, when I 
attempted to snub a lazy chief by making a much-prized present to 
one of his vassals, and a splended worker, rather than to himself, he 
pocketed the article and took all credit to himself for possessing so 
valuable a worker. These tyones barely condescended to consider 
me their equal, and on no occasion would they consider my men as 
such. They were reluctant to believe that any one who would pull on 
the rope of a boat, carry a pack, or take equal foot with his men 
could be a tyone. At this camp we obtained a considerable quantity 
of meat and quite a following of natives to pull on the boat and 
hunt. From Liebigstag's camp is one of the finest views I have ever 
seen. The mountains to the east and north of the river are grand. 
The most southerly of the prominent peaks is due east, and has 
been called by me Mount Blackburn, in honor of Hon. J. C. S. Black- 
burn, of Kentucky. Its elevation above the river is about 12,500 
feet. The bearing of Mount Wrangell from same is NE. V E., and 
has an elevation of about 17,500 feet. The next peak above, called 
by me Mount Tillman, in honor of Prof. S. E. Tillman, of the United 
States Military Academy, is about 16, GOO feet high, and probably ranks 
third in height among the peaks of North America. The next is 
Mount Drum, 13,000 feet above the sea-level, called in honor of the 
Adjutant-General of the Army. The last prominent peak, barely 
visible from the same point, has been called Mount Sanford, and is 
12,500 feet in height. The determinations of the heights of these 
peaks did not involve the rotundity of the earth, but simply the solu- 
tion of plane triangles, hence cannot be accurate. Frequent com] >ass 
bearings of them, taken as we ascended the river, also the verticil 
angles with the sextant from the same points, furnished the data for 
the determination of height and position. A reasonable approxima- 
tion is all that is claimed. The accompanying sketch shows the 
mountains, including the high peaks. Looking to the north was 



60 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

Copper River, with its numerous gravel islands and channels, with 
plenty of ice in it both packed and floating as yet. Between Monnt 
Wrangell and the river are three ranges of mountains, one of which 
was snow-covered, thus proving its elevation to be considerable. 
Along this part of the river absence of rocks characterizes the banks. 
These are very variable in height, and chiefly of recent sedimentary 
deposit. There is splendid grass near the river, and the flat oppo- 
site Liebigstag's had the appearance of an excellent stock range. It 
was sufficiently elevated to be dry, and was partially timbered with 
cottonwoods and spruces. 

After exposing a number of photographic plates, the party started 
off with a liberal supply of moose meat, and as a consequence in ex- 
cellent spirits. We now had seven natives to assist in cordelling, 
besides the two tyones and two hunters. With Liebigstag as cap- 
tain, our chances for taking the most direct channel were much in- 
creased. Beyond this our first natives were little acquainted. For 
several days only two whites kept with the boat; the others followed 
the trail along the east bank of the river, which at times lay several 
miles away. The party following the trail was supposed to furnish 
game, but its efforts to do so were not very successful. An occasional 
goose or duck was killed in the river or a slough, but our chief de- 
pendence was rabbit. 

After leaving Liebigstag's the river continued to bend westward, 
the general bearing being between NW. and NNW. On May 11 
we sighted the small mountains that give rise to the stream on the 
west bank, called by the natives Klatena. These mountains are a 
continuation of the range to the west of the river, but are so low that 
Very little snow was on them. From the same point Mount Wran- 
gell, sending up a white smoke or vapor, bore E. 25 N. After one 
of the longest day's marches while cordelling, we went into camp 
about twenty miles above Liebigstag's, from which camp Mount 
Wrangell bore E. 12° K and Mount Drum K 30° E. From Camp 5 
to mountain behind Taral the bearing was SE. i° S. 

On the 12th we traveled 6 miles W. |° N. , then 3 miles WNW. , and" 
went into camp one mile above Conaquanta's winter house. He and 
his immediate family were out in a hunting camp, but our halt was 
with a band of his followers, all of whom were arrayed in their best 
to welcome us. Our approach was, as usual, heralded several hours 
in advance, and it had now become imperative on me to make an of- 
ficial visit to the ranking man of each settlement, however small. At 
this settlement, the most numerous on Copper River, were 23 men, 
8 women, and 16 children. To our great surprise, we found a few 
pounds of flour and a few ounces each of tea and sugar, besides some 
fancy cups and saucers. The possession of the latter was an infallible 
index of Tyoneship in one of its grades. Their flour had come from 
Tasnai, which to this time we had been led to suppose was at the 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 61 

mouth, of the Tanana River, but which, iu reality was the mouth of 
the Suchitno, in Cook's Inlet. 

I had frequent maps made by the natives to show us the trail over 
the Alaskan Mountains and down the Tanana to the Yukon River. 
all of which indicated the route to be via the Tezlina River to Tasnai. 
The accompanying sketch represents one of the maps thus made. 
Since leaving the Chittystone we had been deluded into thinking we 
knew our course. The strong tendency of the river to the westward 
and the comparatively low latitude, as determined by 'our observa- 
tions, awakened my suspicions, but it was not until we reached the 
Tezlina that I felt sure the trail up it could not lead over the Alas- 
kan Monutains, but rather to Cook's Inlet. 

Having obtained observations for position at camp, we left the 
following morning with but four natives — jSTicolai, his two vassals, 
one of whom was Wahnie, and Chetoza, a vassal of Liebigstag, who 
had to be amply rewarded for permitting him to escort us. The 
assistance rendered us by the many natives recently with us • was 
valuable, but their ceremonies and great sense of rank were very op- 
pressive to my party. Nicolai, when with Tyones, was equal to or 
worse than any of them in this respeet, but when with us only he was 
much more endurable, None of the natives would sell us food of any 
kind without consulting him. and he advised prices that would make 
a commissary in civilization shudder. They realized full well our 
dependence, aud made the most of it. Instead of acceding to our 
terms, we were almost invariably compelled to yield to theirs. 

At 1 mile from camp we passed two more unoccupied houses of 
Conaquanta, the best found on Copper River. Our course for 4 miles 
was NW., and for 3 MW., when we went into camp No. 8. 

The mean barometer reading while in camp was 28.67, which 
showed Camp 8 to be 750 feet above Taral. Camp 9, at an estimated 
distance of 9 miles from Camp 8 by the channels of the river we fol- 
lowed, was, according to the barometer, 110 feet higher. This is not 
more than the average rise from Taral northward, as will be seen by 
consulting the barometric table in the Meteorological Appendix. 
This wonderful fall of the river will account for the torrent-current 
which the Cojjper River has from its source down to the glaciers. 

Midway between the camps we passed the mouth of the Klatena, 
the largest tributary of the Copper save the Chittyna yet passed, and 
a stream of size, as shown by the general topography of the country. 
The mountains on the west side, as far as the eye could reach, seemed 
to be separated by this river. Natives report this river to head near 
Nuchek in a large lake, where fish are abundant; that to reach 
Nuchek, however, would necessitate the crossing of large glaciers. 
Nicolai informed me that he had been to its source when he was a 
small boy. In accordance with his recollection I have traced it in 
dotted lines on the accompanying map. 



62 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

One mile above the Klatena, on the east bank, enters the Klawa- 
sina, a small tributary. 

From Liebigstag's to Conaquanta the river varies from a half to a 
mile in width, with numerous channels. From the Klawasina to the 
Tezlina the river is generally confined to a single channel, with de- 
cided curves. During the march the bearing varied from NW. to 
N. 20° W. After having exposed eight plates, the photographic in- 
strument and all the plates exposed during the time on Copper Eiver 
were carefully packed and cached, to be taken down to JSTuchek by 
Mcolai on his return. 

Camp 10, May 15, found us at the mouth of the Tezlina, where we 
bade good-bye to Nicolai after putting in his possession several let- 
ters descriptive of the journey to that point. We had passed beyond 
the territory of the Atnatanas to the neutral grounds that separate 
them from the Tatlatans. We had to depend almost wholly on 
our own resources from this time forward. En route, until the 
headwaters of the Copper were reached, we observed the greatest 
destitution and hunger within our experience in Alaska. 

In my letter, sent back to the department commander, no informa- 
tion whatever could be given of our future movements. No natives 
had been met who had ever heard of a trail over the mountains to 
the northward. The Copper River here showed little or no diminu- 
tion in volume. The Tezlina, which we had expected to ascend, was 
little if any larger than the Klatena, and only about 25 or 30 yards 
wide, besides being swift, with a bed filled in with bowlders. 

FROM THE TEZLINA RIVER TO LAKE SUSLOTA. 

The natives informed us that we had no chances of reaching the 
source of the Copper; that the current was so swift that to cordell 
the boat would be impossible. They also spoke of the many chan- 
nels, which we found to exist to such a number as to keep us almost 
continually in the water. 

The buds of the cottonwoods were now partially opened, but the 
salmon would not arrive until the leaves had appeared and attained 
their full size. Frequently we imagined that fish had struck our 
legs when wading across these many channels, but this sensation 
proved a delusion. The ice was yet floating in the river, and the 
temperature of the water 43 Fahrenheit. A day was passed at the 
mouth of the Tezlina to try and replenish our supplies by hunting, 
but without success save to the extent of a few rabbits. Sergeant 
Robinson shot at and wounded a small black bear, the only large 
game seen save the tebay of the Chittystone. 

No buoyancy of spirit characterized the party as it left the mouth of 
the Tezlina, entirely in ignorance of what was in store for it; and, 
wearied with hunger and other hardships, there was just cause for 
melancholy. The party had scarcely been dry day or night since 




h 



Mt. Drum, E. 10° S., 13,300 ft. 




y E., 16,600 ft. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 63 

leaving Taral. During the day we had an accident which might 
easily have proved fatal to the success of the expedition. In cross- 
ing the river, an undertaking circumstances frequently necessitated, 
our skin boat struck and lodged in the middle of the channel, where 
the current was terrific, on a huge hidden bowlder. The dogs were 
thrown out of the boat, the sides of which were crushed in, and for 
a few minutes general consternation prevailed until we were again 
safe on land. Had the boat upset our bedding, guns, and instru- 
ments would have been lost, and doubtless the lives of some of the 
party. This event seemed to add no little to the general depression 
of the party. 

Two miles above the mouth of the Tezlina the bearing of Mount 
Drum is E. 20° N. The course of the river during the day was nearly 
due north, with some very marked curves. From Camp 12 the bear- 
ings of Mounts Drum and Wrangell were respectively E. 10° N. and 
E. 13° K, with angles of elevation 3° 20' and 5° 06'. The barometer 
read 28.05, showing camp to be 1,275 feet above Taral and 1,850 feet 
above sea-level. 

» Before leaving camp, two runners f rom Conaquanta's hunting camp 
ached us with about two meals of moose meat, for which we traded. 
The grass had now given way to the deep moss, which continued 
to characterize the country, with an occasional exception, through- 
out the remainder of our explorations. We left camp after repair- 
ing the baidarra, an operation that had become a daily necessity on 
account of the rottenness of its skin covering, produced by continual 
moisture. 

One mile above camp, on an island, were springs so strongly im- 
pregnated with minerals that their waters could not be drunk. Even 
a sip left for a long time a disagreeable taste. The deposit on the 
gravel showed the presence of iron. We were unable to carry any 
of it away. 

Three miles further up the mouth of the Tonkina was passed. It 
showed a volume of water, the cross-section of which was about 30 
feet by 3 feet. 

Numerous channels necessitated almost continual wading, which 
was now seriously showing its ill effects on the party. Improper 
circulation of the blood and frequent discharge of urine at night was 

tthe cause of much sleeplessness. Ice froze in the cups to the thick- 
ness of half an inch during the night of May 20. The geese had be- 
gun to lay, however, and occasionally we could get one, with its eggs,- 
of which there were never more than six. 

Two miles above Camp 14 we passed the mouth of the Gakona, so 
concealed by timbered lands as not to be visible. The diminution 
in volume of the Copper after passing this point showed this to be no 
inconsiderable tributary. The bearing up it from near the junction 




^ZJF 



- 



lit. Hi-urn. E. 10" S. i:::!im If 



Mt. Wrangell, ESE., 17,5U0 ft. 
l6. — AS SEEN FROM POINT SIX MILES ABOVE MOUTH OF GAKONA RlYER. 



lit. Tilliiinn, SE. by E.. Hi, Win !;, 



g4 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

is NW. The positions of the various camps are shown on the accom- 
panying maps. 

Three miles below Camp 15 we obtained thirty salmon from a de- 
serted cache in such a condition that onr dogs hesitated to eat them, 
yet hunger compelled us to do so. On the 22d we went into camp 
early in order to replenish our "larder" by hunting, but had little 
success. A smoke far in advance seemed to promise something cheer- 
ful, but soon we found that the natives, whose presence it indicated, 
were traveling north as well as ourselves. From their trail we knew 
they had no boat, hence our chance of overtaking them was very 
indifferent. The river again appeared in a single channel, an un- 
usual sight on the Copper. 

On the 23d, at # Camp 16, another effort was made to obtain large 
game. One party crossed the river towards the peaks on the east; 
the other hunted on the west bank. Neither of these obtained any 
game. The thoughts of all were now centered on the natives in ad- 
vance whose smoke we had seen. From a high hill behind Camp 16 
a great stretch of country was visible. Huge snow-capped mount- 
ains to the north and west, evidently the principal range south of the 
Tanana River, were seen for the first time. The highest visible peak 
of the range, which bore N. by E., I have called Mount Patten, in 
honor of Captain Patten, of the U. S. Q. M. D., though I have been 
unable to definitely locate it on the map for want of other observa- 
tions of it. It was supposed that this peak was seen several times 
after reaching the Tanana, but the bearings when plotted do not 
agree. The farthest visible water of the Copper River bore EKE. 
Mounts Drum and Tillman bore respectively E. 15° S. and SE. 

On the 24th we passed the first natives seen since May 15. They 
were the thinnest, hungriest people I have ever beheld. The children 
were slowly wasting away. Their only support had been a few small 
fish, rabbits, and roots. Their supply of food on our arrival contained 
roots only, but the men were off for fish. We examined not only the 
caches, but the contents of everything that might possibly contain 
food, with a view of satisfying our hunger, but to no purpose. This 
settlement was on a small tributary of the Copper, on the west bank. 
It was our intention to camp near them, but so pitiful was the sight 
that we marched 3 miles farther. Our condition was better than the 
natives — thanks to our guns and ammunition. I shudder to think of 
the subsequent condition of those poor women and children, unless 
the salmon-ran quickly followed us. 

The last 3 miles traveled were in the direction of NE. by E., and 
the river was H miles wide. The water had risen to such a height 
tli.ii we were compelled in numerous places to cut the small timber, 
ordinarily a short distance from the water, to be able to cordell the 
boats. ( )ur marches continued to grow shorter, in spite of strenuou 
efforts to prevent this. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. (55 

From Camp 18, a high mountain, Mount Sanford, above Mount 
Drum, was seen for the first time since leaving Liebigstag's. Its 
bearing was E. 17° S., whilst Mount Drum bore SE. |S. 

On the 26th the mouth of Sanford River, a torrent from the east, 
was passed. 

From leaving one camp until making another, we were almost con- 
tinually in the water, and a distance of G miles had now become a 
huge march, so difficult was the river and so worn the party. On the 
2?th we passed the mouth of Schnuna River, a torrent from the west, 
and went into camp, not having "traveled more than 1 miles. The 
river ha'd many turns at this latitude. I have refrained from detailing 
its course, which is shown by the map. 

The size of the boat we now found to be too great for the strength of 
the party, and larger than necessary to carry our all, so, at Camp 20, Ser- 
geant Robertson and Bremner remodeled and reduced it. Camp was 
near a native house, though the only native we saw was a cripple, who 
wanted permission to accompany us, claiming that he was a skilly, and 
related to the big Tyone of the Upper Copper. From him we learned 
that there was a trail over the Alaskan Mountains, but it was kute- 
shit, kuteshit (far, faraway). He was willing however to go, but to 
subsist him would be necessary. We rejected his services, and sup- 
posed that this would be the last of him. Not so, however, for he 
continued to follow along the woods, always appearing at meals, when- 
ever we halted on the side of the river on which he was. After a while 
we found that he could be a valuable assistant, by digging roots, and 
he was added to the party. He proved a genuine skilly, in fact a Mas- 
cot, without whose services we would undoubtedly have suffered 
much more than we did. Even rabbits were now difficult to obtain, 
and the little flour and rice kept back for moral effect were now used 
to appease our hunger. 

The following is from Fickett's journal : 

May 28. — Had a little paste, rotten and wormy meat for dinner; rotten goose 
eggs and a little rice for supper. Each meal about one-fourth of what We needed. 
We went into camp. Whole party y>layed out. 

May 29. — Party nearly played out for want of food. Can just crawl. Had t<> 
stop middle of p.m. to make a flap-jack for eaoh and a little beef tea. Decided i<> 
abandon boat at the next Indian house. 

May 30. — Temperature of water 43. Course NE. by Iv Arrived at an Indian 
house at 11 a. m. hungry. Decided to abandon boat. Indian gave ua a dinner 
of boiled meat, from which he scraped the maggots by oandfuls before cutting ii 
up. It tasted good, maggots and all. 

On the morning of May 2* we passed the mouth of the Chitsle't- 
china. Its canon for many miles bore N". 20° AY., while the Copper 
bore N. 30° E. The two seemed nearly equal in size, and for some 
time I was in doubt as to which one to ascend. The cripple decided 
me, by saying that there were no natives on the former, bul there 
S. Ex. 125 5 



66 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

were some on the latter. The trail over the mountains was yet very 
indeterminate, the cripple having informed us that two moons would 
be required to make the portage. I thought perhaps a shorter route 
might be found from the head of the Chitsletchina, the mouth of 
which had several channels, separated by thick ice resting on the 
gravel bars. 

A few miles above the junction of the rivers we reached a camp of 
natives, twenty-three in number, all ready to start for Taral for the 
fishing season. They did not contemplate a return until the follow- 
ing winter. Here the Copper was again in a single channel, and 
showed itself a much smaller river, its width being only about 100 
yards. 

On May 30, after a march of 3 miles, we reached a native set- 
tlement of four souls (Camp 22), and found the natives above the 
Tezlina. Here we abandoned the baidarra to take a portage, the 
chord of an arc represented by Copper River. At seven miles from 
camp the bearing of Mount Sanford was S. 5° E., and Mount Drum 
S. 20° W. Noon observation showed us to be in latitude 62' 54' N. 

The Tatlatan cripple took the trail, and we followed in single file, 
with packs on our backs. Our three dogs were utilized for the first 
time as pack animals, and were of much value. Our guide was 
crippled to the extent of having a shriveled leg, for which he substi- 
tuted a long stick that passed behind the shoulder and above the 
head when adjusted to assist walking. The lower end of his staff 
was broadened to prevent its sinking into the sphagnum ; his speed 
and endurance seemed wonderful. Our trail, on June 1, lay closer 
to the river, and 3 miles from Camp 23 we crossed a clear stream 
x of dimensions 30 feet wide by 1-j- feet deep, which we knew to be a 
fish stream by the appearance of the camping-ground upon its' bank, 
and the fish traps lying in and near the water. The house, usually 
found at such places, had been burnt, and no natives had stopped 
in the vicinity for many months. 

On the banks of this stream, where the moss had been destroyed, 
was the luxuriant growth of grass that generally springs up near 
settlements. This fact may prove of value if it ever be considered 
prudent to attempt the cultivation of barley, or the hardy vegeta- 
bles, in such high latitudes. The country over which we were travel- 
ing was covered with marshy lakes and a growth of dwarf spruces, 
both dead and alive, besides a fair quantity of cotton woods. ' It dif- 
fered in no material respect from the country of the Chittystone 
River, over Avhich we portaged. The berry bushes (several varieties) 
were in bloom, and the foliage of the trees was nearly complete, in- 
dications that the salmon should be at hand. 

Camp 24 was on the Copper River, which here has a course nearly 
due east and west. About 3 miles to the west of camp the Slana 
River empties from the north. It is a tributary of considerable pro- 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 67 

portions, if we judge from the diminution of volume of the Copper 
above their confluence. From its source, Lake Mentasta, a trail also 
leads to the Tanana. 

June 2 our course lay along the river, which now bore ENE. for 
several miles. Suddenly, to my surprise, the cripple began crossing 
some of its numerous channels. The bed of the river here is fully 
a mile wide, and there* are probably ten channels, varying in depth, 
where we forded, from a few inches to 2| feet. Between the chan- 
nels are gravel and small bowlders, with an occasional island cov- 
ered with willow. In fording these channels the party found it 
necessary, on account of the swiftness of the current, to join hands, 
thus proving of mutual assistance. 

After crossing the river our course lay KE. for about 5 miles, 
over a well-worn trail, a pleasant sight to us. When within a mile 
or two of the Ty one's we passed a collection of snow-shoes and sleds 
placed in the branches of the trees. Why these articles should 
usually be stored at a distance from the house I was unable to learn, 
but such is the custom with all of the Copper Eiver natives. The 
cripple had gone in advance to notify Batzulneta, for such was the 
name of the chieftain, of our approach. The usual salute with guns 
was exchanged, and we were met by thirty-one men, ten women, and 
fifteen children, the latter, of course, in the background. Of these 
natives, quite a number were from Tanana, and had gone into sum- 
mer camp with Batzulneta, to be ready for the run of salmon. That 
the Tananatanas should come to the Copper River to fish was very 
significant. Here there was but one winter house, and that occupied 
by the Tyone and his immediate following, while the other natives 
were living in spruce-bough houses. Batzulneta, the largest native 
seen by us in the Territory, was 6 feet 4 inches high, and clad in a 
blouse of scarlet flannel, obtained from a trading station on the Yu- 
kon River, and a pair of native trousers, which included the foot 
gear. His shirt of cotton cloth, and a black woolen hat with strips 
of red flannel, completed his costume. His hair hung down his back 
in a tangled roll 3 feet long, showing no signs of ever having had any 
attention. As a medicine man, he could neither have it cut nor 
combed. Over each ear hung two small braids, secured at the ends 
by beads and sinew. Altogether he was the most picturesque char- 
acter we had met, yet his face neither showed courage nor cunning. 
His ascendancy had doubtless arisen from his position as medicine 
man, possibly from a superstition concerning his unusual stature. 

One of the natives from the Tanana made a map of the Yukon and 
Tanana, which is inserted to show how great is the geographical 
knowledge of these primitive people. He assured me he had been to 
the stations on the Yukon, at Fort Reliance and at Fetutlin. the 
former kept by Mr. McQuisten, the latter by Mr. Harper, both of 
whom we afterwards met on the Yukon, below the mouth of the 



68 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

Tanana. He was entirely ignorant of their surnames, but spoke of 
"Jock." These natives, likewise those on the headwaters of the 
Tanana, call the Yukon Kiver, Mga To; the White River, Natsina; 
the Tanana, Nabesna, and by such names we spoke of them to the 
natives until we were two-thirds of the way down the Tanana. 

At this camp we bade good by to Wahnie and Chetoza, both 
of whom were in a sad condition, due to the constant exposure 
and hardship. Each had contracted a severe cough, and both were 
very much reduced in flesh. "Wahnie had become much attached 
to us, and wept at parting. Their services for the last few days 
had been of very little value. The usual meal was given us on our 
arrival, but after that food of any kind was difficult to obtain at any 
price-. 

The natives were hourly expecting the salmon, and would fre- 
quently go to the small river near by, and put in the dip-net. In- 
spired by their hopes, June 3 was passed in waiting, on a diet of half- 
rotton salmon and a few rabbits, the moose meat having been ex- 
hausted. During the afternoon of our arrival all the males (eight) 
from Lake Suslota came to Batzulne'ta's, and in the evening had a 
grand orgie. 

At first we were told that it would require thirty days to cross the 
mountains, but, after many wahwahs, it was decided that with long 
marches the journey could be accomplished in seven. The first es- 
timate was made on our arrival in a half exhausted condition. 

Four natives were employed to pack across the mountains for us, 
but not until the Tyone had been first rewarded, then the fathers of 
tjie young men, and finally a promise from us to pay the young men 
themselves for their services. 

The natives here differed not a great deal from those of Taral. 
Their language, however, was not readily intelligible to our Lower 
River natives, one of whom I used as interpreter. In some cases 
their words were entirely different, for example : a long distance by 
the Midnooskies waskuteshit ; by the Tatlatans, nijot (French j). 

Just before leaving a series, of loud shouts was heard, proclaim- 
ing the first salmon of the season. It was a rather small silver sal- 
mon, which was placed in a conspicuous place on one of the spruce- 
bough tepees, where all visited it with great singing and glee. Though 
aware that probably in a few days there would be hundreds of these, 
the promise of honnai meat (caribou), at Lake Suslota, induced us 
to move on. Moreover, I knew that at most only two or three days' 
rations of fresh fish could be carried. 

The expedition left Batzulneta's camp for Lake Suslota, the source 
of a tributary of the Slana River, on the 4th day of June. At three 
miles from camp the bearing of the pass over the mountains was N". 
30° E., bearing of the source of the Copper River, E. 30° S. Almost 
the entire march to the lake was oyer a boggy flat, with tetes de 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. G9 

femmes, or hunnnocks, a liberal allowance of scrub birch, so small 
that it might readily be taken for gooseberry bushes, and a limited 
quantity of dwarf spruce. About noon it was extremely difficult to 
find enough wood to boil the tea. The gravel and bowlder bed, so 
near the surface, would prevent the growth of vegetation of any 
considerable size, even though there were no ice. 

The mountains we were soon to cross were comparatively low, and 
pointed almost at right angles to the high mountains to our eastward 
and southward. The high mountains in question constitute the apex 
of the mountain system south of the Yukon, and from which spurs 
shoot in several directions. The headwaters of the Tanana, Copper, 
and White Rivers, are contained in them. The location of the 
prominent peaks, viz, Sanford, Drum. Wrangell, Tillman, and 
Blackburn, by numerous compass bearings, do not tend to show the 
continuity of the range. Could a view have been obtained from one 
of these peaks, a backbone of the system might have been deter- 
mined, showing the connection with the St. Elias Range, with the 
mountains that separate the Copper from the Tanana, and those 
between the Tanana and the White. The existence of high mount- 
ains behind and around Taral, and the high mountains north of 
Prince William's Sound led me to believe that the St. Elias Range 
finds an extension at a rather uniform distance from the coast, and 
terminates south of the Kuskokwim. The mountains we were about 
to cross could hardly be a continuation of the high mountains to the 
east, unless one be considered a spur of the other. The range, south 
of the middle part of the Tanana, contains some very high, snow- 
clad peaks. 

We reached Lake Suslota, at the foot of the pass, where we found 
one house and three or four families, consisting of eight men, six 
women, and nine children. Their main sustenance was a dried fish, 
much smaller in size than the salmon. They were not fishing during 
our stay. In the lake, which was only two miles long and very nar- 
row, could be seen small grayling, but they could not be induced to 
rise for anything we could offer them, no insects of any description 
being obtainable. From Suslota, Mount Sanford had a bearing of 
SSW. and an angle of elevation of 4° 2'. It towered above all vis- 
ible surroundings. The outlet of the lake, a tributary of the Slan;i. 
flowed in a southwesterly direction. 

For many days before reaching Lake Susl6ta we had Bought a 
pass through the mountains on the right bank, which continued to 
grow lower as our northings increased. To be at the fool of such 
a one as would lead to the Tanana in so short a time seemed hardly 
credible, but such wasthe fact. To find two rivers of the magnitude 
of the Tanana and Copper heading so near each other as almost to 
have intersecting tributaries, and to be so ent irely differenl in their 
characteristics, I consider one of the most interesting discoveries of 



70 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

the expedition. The barometer showed Camp Susldta to be 3,160 
feet above the sea-level. The narrative of the Copper Eiver ends 
with Susldta, the journey over the mountains being included in the 
narrative of the Tanana River. 



NARRATIVE OF THE TANANA RIVER. 



LAKE SUSLOTA TO TETLIN&S. 

I begin the narrative of the Tanana at the initial point of the pass 
over the Alaskan Range, Lake Suslota. This pass I have named in 
honor of General N. A. Miles, U. S. Army. It is probably the best 
locality that will permit communication beteen the Yukon Basin 
and the Copper River country, and would doubtless be used should 
the minerals of the latter region prove of sufficient importance to 
justify such expenditures as this would necessitate. The possibility 
of the ascent of the Copper with provisions can hardly be enter- 
tained, unless it be made with sleds during the winter. 

The route (Miles's Pass) from the headwaters of the Copper to the 
Upper Tanana, and the finding on both sides of natives who had 
been to the Yukon River to trade, settles the mooted question, " Do 
the Copper River natives visit the Yukon?" With regard to this 
matter the traders themselves were not confident, until a few ques- 
tions were put, which brought forth the facts in the matter. Mr. 
McQuisten, trader of Fort Reliance, and Mr. La Due, a prospector, 
asserted that they had seen some Copper River natives at the post 
in 1883, and that a native on the north side of the mountains was 
used as a second interpreter to them. From this and other infor- 
mation I conclude that their visits are not frequent, and that traffic 
is effected usually by intermediate parties. 

About noon of June 5, 1885, after engaging natives, taking obser- 
vations for position and arranging the packs of all, including those 
of the dogs, we left the settlement, and soon began the ascenl of the 
mountains, which were free from snow excepting the highesl points 
and the ravines. The upper or northerly end of Lake Susldta was 
yet covered witli ice and snow. As we slowly ascended the rather 
gradual slope, the Copper River basin appeared before our eyes, a 
beautiful sight. Looking south the lofty mountains on the east 
bank, the flat country on the west, with numerous small lakes, 
hedged in with evergreen timber; the river itself, with numerous 
channels, made an impression long to he retained. On our left, 
while ascending, was visible the small tributary emptying into Sns- 
lota. Up it is a trail u^'d by the natives in going to Lake Mentasta, 
the source of Slana River. 

71 



72 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

After having readied an elevation of 1,000 feet above Suslota, in 
traveling abont 3 miles, we f onnd in onr front a continnation of 
mountains, the highest of which was 1,000 feet above us, but which 
looked insignificant when compared with the lofty white masses to 
our south and east. From this elevation was pointed out to us by 
the natives the direction of Lake Mentasta, which was nearly due 
north; also a prominent pyramidal peak, towards which our course 
lay, and which bore 1STNE. 

After a march of about 7 miles we were near the foot of Mount 
"Tebay," pyramidal in shape and on a brook which feeds Lake 
Suslota. To our great surprise and delight the long-looked for sal- 
mon were endeavoring to ascend it. In some of the little channels 
the ice prevented further progress, in other places there was so little 
water that the fish, in endeavoring to push their way up on their 
sides, actually shoved themselves out of the brook onto the land. 
These were the advance guard that had doubtless passed through 
Suslota after our start in the morning. We had no difficulty in tak- 
ing all we needed, nor was there any hesitancy about one and all eat- 
ing until completely satisfied — a most unusual occurrence. 

We had about three days' supply of meat on hand, which was 
about all we could carry, under the circumstances. I know this 
seems rather incredible, but not more so than the fact that any one 
of the party could easily eat 4 pounds of meat at a sitting. One of 
the party ate three salmon, including the heads of all and the roe of 
one from the time of going into camp until retiring. This camp 
(No. 1) was the only place between Nuchek and the Yukon River 
where it would have been possible to lie over and obtain food in suf- 
ficient quantity to satisfy our hunger; yet I did not deem it prudent 
to attempt to recuperate our strength on fish diet alone. 

With one day's ration of salmon, and our moose meat, we left 
camp No. 1 and traveled NE. | K, 5 miles, passing the little 
lake to which the salmon were making in order to deposit their 
spawn. I asked our natives whether these fish ever descended. 
They replied in the negative, thus in a measure corroborating the 
same views held by some of the natives of the Yukon. 

One and a half miles further brought us to a water-shed between 
the Tanana and Copper, where, for the first time, was sighted the 
long sought Tanana waters. At this place were many small lakes, 
separated by only a few hundred yards, some serving as reservoirs 
for the Tanana and others for the Copper. The natives informed 
me that Lake Mentasta had outlets flowing into both the Tanana 
and Copper. Should this not be strictly true, I am satisfied from 
the topography of the country that the headwaters of Tokai River 
are not more than a mile or two from the lake. This so-called water- 
shed is in reality a pass, 800 to 1,500 feet lower than the mountains on 
each side, that are barren of everything save a little grass, spruce, 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 73 

and much moss. From it the course to Lake Mentasta is nearly due 
west. 

On each side of us and converging as we advanced were two trib- 
utaries of Tokai River, one of which was reported to head in Lake 
Mentasta, the other headed to the east and south. It would have 
been the most natural course to have followed this tributary to the 
Tanana, but our packers protested, saying Ave would starve. Our 
general course for the day was NE., and our camp No. 2, below 
the junction of the two tributaries, was near the canon through 
which the Tokai Eiver flows, and on its left bank, at a distance of 10 
miles from camp. Then instead of following this stream to its con- 
fluence with the Tanana we crossed it a few miles below camp, and 
a mile or two farther on a tributary of it ; then began ascending to 
another height, from which Tokai River bore NNW. At 8. 30 p. m. 
our course had now become due east, with another tributary of To- 
kai River on our left, flowing nearly due west. At 10.15 p. m. we 
went into Camp 3, on the second water-shed, where were numerous 
small lakes, and other geographical features similar to those on the 
first. The term water-shed must here be considered in a limited 
sense, inasmuch as the entire range would properly receive that 
term ; and it must also be remembered that our course was nearer 
east than north. Observation, on the 7th, showed our latitude to be 
63.11; on the 5th, at Susldta, 63.01. 

Fatigue and heat prevented a start from Camp 3 until 5 p. m., at 
which time the sun was far above the horizon. The course for 4 
miles was east ; then was begun the ascent of a tributary of a stream 
emptying into the Tanana to the east of the place where we first 
reached that river. The bearing for the next few miles was NE. , 
until we reached a second tributary of the stream on our right, just 
mentioned. From this the course was ENE. , up a gorge, with much 
snow and ice, and temperature below freezing point. 

At 1.30 a. m., after the steepest ascent made by the expedition, we 
were on a very short and narrow " divide," 4,500 feet above the sea- 
level, with bold, barren bluffs on each side. From this the most 
grateful sight it has ever been my fortune to witness was presented. 
The sun was rising, but not in the east, in fact just two points cast 
of north. We had nearly reached the ' ' land of the midnighl sun."' 
to find in our front the "promised land." The views in advance and 
in rear were both grand ; the former showing the extensive Tanana 
Valley with numerous lakes, and the low im brok en range of mountains 
between the Tanana" and Yukon Rivers. On this pass, with both 
white and yellow buttercups around me and snow within a IVw feet. 
I sat proud of the grand sight which no visitor save an Ainatana or 
Tananatana had ever seen. Fatigue and hunger were for tin- fcime 
forgotten in the great joy at finding our greatesl obstacles overcome. 
As many as twenty lakes were visible, some of which were north <>l 



74 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

the Tanana, more than 20 miles away. The bearing of the most 
easterly water was E. 15° N". The bearing to Nandell's, onr im- 
mediate destination, was E. 30° N". Had we ascended the craggy, 
rocky peak on onr right, which obstrncted the eastern view, we conld 
probably have traced the Tanana many miles towards its sonrce, 
bnt the greatest of all obstacles to exploration, hunger, prevented. 
The northern declivity was extremely abrupt, and our descent lay 
along a gorge similar to the one ascended, excepting the absence of 
ice and snow. A mile down this gorge, at the first obtainable tim- 
ber, we halted and cooked the last Liebig's extract of beef, that we 
had so carefully preserved for just such a contingency. 

At 5 a. m. we went into Camp 4, barely able to stand, to be har- 
rassed by the gnats and mosquitoes. Our only protection was our 
blankets, which the extreme heat rendered most uncomfortable. We 
had succeeded by marching all night in making about 14 miles. We 
had crossed the Alaskan Mountains, represented in this section on 
all charts tiiat attempt vertical delineations as very rugged and 
lofty, which is hardly the case. Not four weeks before our landing 
at San Francisco, a scout sent into Alaska the year preceding us 
had returned and reported that a crossing from the Copper to the 
Tanana would be utterly impossible ; that a fair idea of the nature 
of the country could be obtained by placing one Mount Hood on 
another. His information was obtained from natives, and is not 
more inaccurate than is frequently obtained from the same source. 
The traders of the Yukon, who are supposed to be more familiar with 
the general topography of the interior than any other white men, 
believed the crossing to be next to impossible, and were more than 
surprised when we reached the Yukon River. 

Camp 4, just over the range, was at an elevation of 3,300 feet, as 
shown by the barometer. 

June 9 we began our tramp about 2 p. m., and having been in- 
formed by the natives that by marching all night we could reach 
Nandell's, we decided upon making an attempt to do so, provided we 
had no success at hunting. Two natives, sent in advance to shoot 
rabbits, were overtaken at 10 p. m. with one in their possession. This 
little animal was but a scanty exasperating taste for nine half-starved 
men. During the remainder of the march to Nandell's, so exhausted 
was the party that the slowest progress was barely possible. 

Just before sighting the few houses at the settlement, we were on 
a hill two or three hundred feet above the lakes and could see that 
the chain to which they belong is very extensive. We had passed 
several small lakes, and had crossed a large brook, leaving it on our 
left. This last may have been a feeder of some of the lakes, but from 
its temperature I should judge that such is not the case. The general 
course was E. 30° N., with many deviations. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 75 

At 3 a. m., June 10, the party was welcomed at Nandell's with a 
great firing of guns. Here there were forty men, twenty-eight women, 
and eighteen children assembled to gaze at a sight never before seen. 
Many of the men of this locality, in fact most of them, had made the 
tour one or more times to the Yukon for trading purposes, yet some 
of the men and most of the women and children had never seen a 
white man. Their clothing indicated more easy communication with 
a trading station than did that of the Atnatanas. We realized from 
their appearance that better times awaited us. 

A few of the boys, to their great pride and our surprise, repeated, 
with various degrees of accuracy, the letters of the alphabet. They 
had received instruction on the Yukon from Mr. Simms, the zealous 
missionary sent out from England. He was highly esteemed by the 
natives, who were much benefited by his worthy example and in- 
struction. This most excellent gentleman passed his last moments 
on Porcupine or Rat River, in the year 1884. 

Had the distance to Nanclell's been 30 miles farther, and game 
equally scarce as on the trail traveled, the injury to the party from 
hunger would have been incalculable. 

The settlement of which Nandell was autocrat consisted of four 
houses situated on a small, clear stream, which helped connect the 
chain of lakes. After crossing the mountains a most decided change 
of landscape was presented us. Vegetation was more rank, and the 
temperature of the lake water was so high as to make it very dis- 
agreeable to drink. It seemed rather remarkable that the season should 
be far enough advanced (June 10) for the sun's heat to have caused 
the water to be not uncomfortable for bathing in these lakes. The 
water of the Yukon was very much colder in July, as was the water 
of the Tanana the last of June. In fact, the mouths of some of the 
tributaries of the Tanana were filled with ice as we passed them. 
Some of the lakes seemed to possess a great depth of water, though a 
more thorough investigation might have revealed otherwise. Pos- 
sibly only the shallow and surface water is heated by the sun, which 
shines in that latitude, in June, about twenty-one hours per day. The 
psychrometer was stolen before the tenrperature of the water had been 
obtained, and our barometer was so injured as to be of no future use 
to us. These incidents came near being the cause of serious trouble. 
I knew well enough that the manifestation of any fear would place 
us completely in the power of the natives, to treat us as they should 
see fit. Efforts to recover the instrument, however, were of no avail, 
and we barely averted a struggle with these people. 

The country in the vicinity of the lakes was covered with a luxu- 
riant growth of grass, and countless roses were in bloom. The trails 
round about bore evidence of having been much used, and altogether 
a more civilized appearance had not been seen since leaving Nuchek. 
The houses were large, and constructed without the use of bark. 



76 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

The absence of the attached sweat-room and of the "box" arrange- 
ment of the interior caused a marked difference in their appearance 
when compared with the typical Copper River honse. To procure 
firewood even for cooking was not an easy task. The scarcity of 
timber showed that these grounds had been used many years. A 
very old native informed me that he had been born there; that dur- 
ing the winter wood was hauled on sleds from the hills; that Nan- 
dell had obtained his supremacy by plunging a knife into his rival, 
son of my informant; that there were no salmon in the Tanana. 

I learned that there was a trail from Lake Mentasta to Nan- 
dell's, and also to the Tanana; that there were two routes to Fort 
Reliance — one entirely by foot, the other by portage to a tributary 
of the White River, then down the same, the White and the Yukon, 
in a skin boat. The return trip was always by the former route. 

The food of the natives at this season is chiefly fish, taken in this 
stream by means of a dip-net which just fills the channel, made nar- 
row by means of small spruce piles driven side by side. Here there 
were several kinds of them, including pickerel, suckers, grayling, 
and two varieties of whitefish. The "catch" in the single dip-net 
supplied all, and from each fisherman Nanclell exacted a royalty. 
Some one was on the fishing-stand with net in hand day and night. 
At Nandell's was obtained the first pemmican that we had seen in 
the territory. Afterwards, however, some was obtained on a tribu- 
tary of the Kdyukuk. 

The inhabitants around these lakes, including Tetling's following, 
were almost without exception suffering from severe coughs, and 
many showed unmistakable signs of pulmonary troubles. 

From Nandell's, Lake Mentasta bore nearly due west. The canoes 
used here and at Kheeltat's are the smallest I have ever known, an 
average one being 13 to 15 feet long, 21 to 24 inches of beam, and 11 
to 12 inches across the bottom, and very shallow. 

At first a raft journey down the Tanana was contemplated, but the 
natives protested, saying that two moons would be required. Later 
developments showed conclusively that a raft would have been to- 
tally unfit to run rapids so strewn with timber in places that we could 
barely run our skin boat through. It was finally decided by a coun- 
cil that the Yukon (Mga To) could be reached in a skin boat in 
twenty days, but no Indians could be induced to assist us farther 
than to the next settlement, two days distant by the river from Tet- 
ling's. 

Nandell's is in latitude G3° 21', and approximate longitude 143° 28'. 
He had several "medicine men" in his following, one of whom ac- 
companied us as far as Tetling's, entreating us not to stop at Kheel- 
tat's, saying that all of us would certainly be killed. 

June 12 we left Nandell's for Tetling's, which bore NKE., and 
which is about 11 miles distant. The destruction of the natural 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 77 

carpeting of the earth by fire to kill the mosquitoes and gnats has 
caused a splendid grow th of grass between the two points just named. 
The numerous lakes on each side of the trail, the meadow-like ap- 
pearance of parts of the land between, with groves of cottonwood 
interspersed with birch, was sufficient to recall scenes of much lower 
latitudes. Around these lakes the country seemed more pastoral in 
its nature than in any part of the Territory. A yet more pleasing 
fact was that there were few mosquitoes or gnats to harrass us. 

TETLING'S TO KHEELTATS. 

We reached Tetling's in the afternoon, and had the construction of 
the baidarra immediately begun — that is, if the word "immedi- 
ately " can ever be properly used with regard to fulfillment of agree- 
ments by these people. Only three caribou skins could be obtained 
for it, one each from Nandell and Tetling, and one from quite a dis- 
tance. At Tetling's were six men who had greeted us at Nandell's, 
four women, and seven children, occupying two houses situated on a 
deep, clear stream, the outlet of a lake much larger than any we had 
passed — so said the natives. To obtain the positions of the lakes in 
the vicinity would have required a much more accurate survey than 
it was possible for us to make. 

Had there been food, I should have sent three of the party over the 
portage to the Yukon, and would have gone with the others to the 
source of the Tanana, which is indicated on the general chart in 
dotted lines. Insufficiency of food here as elsewhere was our great- 
est source of anxiety. The exhausted condition of the party caused 
me to start down the Tanana as soon as possible, vainly hoping that 
on reaching the Yukon bur wants would be immediately supplied. 
We purchased all obtainable food at ISTandeirs and Tetling's, giving 
in exchange all the money that remained and every garment or ar- 
ticle of any description that could be spared. The men of the party 
volunteered to give up everything in their possession, even to coats, 
shirts, pocket-knives, &c. We paid dearly for every pound of food, 
yet we left the natives in a hungry state, with their sole dependence 
on fish, which at that season were not abundant. The absence of 
salmon in the Tanana caused me to suspect falls or severe rapids in 
the river, but these natives denied that such was the case, though 
flatly refusing to go to the Yukon with us, notwithstanding the 
greatest inducements. 

At this place I noticed that the severe hardships to which Bremner 
had so long been exposed were affecting both his mental and physi- 
cal constitution. His ankle, sprained on the Chittystone, had as- 
sumed an unusual size, which was due; as we found later, to scurvy. 
For two weeks past the body of Sergeant Robertson had been cov- 
ered with black spots, which developed later into another form of 



78 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

scurvy. We had carried a bottle of acetic acid, the best anti-scor- 
butic that could be obtained in Sitka and that could be transported. 
Its use was not effective, and I doubt whether any other acid would 
have been. 

The baidarra having been completed, was launched by the native 
boys, given a trial trip, and found satisfactory. It did not differ 
materially from the one we had constructed and used on the Copper 
River. Instead of being constructed out of moose skins, those of 
the caribou were used, and it was by no means an easy task to secure 
even three in all that region. 

With two natives, our three pack-dogs, and a large supply of meat 
and fish we started down the stream at 6 a. m. on the 14th. There 
were six paddlers and one steersman. After a run of two and a half 
hours down Tetling River, with its many windings and general 
course of N". by E., we reached the muddy Tan ana, with its quick- 
sands and boilings, sand-spits, and absence of rocks. The cur- 
rent of the river was between 3 and 3J miles per hour. Its water 
was covered with foam, which was not necessarily attributable to 
falls, new foam having been passed several times en route down. 
Spruce grew down to the very banks of the river. Wo attempt will 
be made in this narrative to detail the numerous courses; suffice it to 
say that the exact time on each course, as well as the course itself, 
were recorded, and the reduced results are shown on the accompany- 
ing maps. At 6 p. m. rocky banks on the north side were seen for 
the first time. The actual run on the Tanana was a distance of 35 
miles. 

Heavy smoke caused by the extensive timber fires obscured the sun 
the entire day, so that an observation was impossible. This smoke 
had originated from signal fires which were intended to give warning 
of our presence in the country. When we first arrived at Nandell's 
there was only an occasional smoke around, but as his guests de- 
parted for their different habitations each marked his trail by a signal 
fire. The prevailing wind was from the east and carried the smoke 
along with us. In answer to the fires on the south bank new ones 
were started on the north, so that for nearly two days we barely 
caught a glimpse of the sun except through the heavy spruce smoke. 

Camp No. 7 was left at 5.45 a. m. to follow the many windings of 
the Tanana, which now varied from 100 to 300 yards in width. Most 
of the spruce timber growing along its banks was from 3 to 8 inches 
in diameter. At 8 o'clock the mouth of Tokai River, which had 
much increased in size since our first sight of it, was passed on the 
left bank. It does not possess the torrent current of other tributaries 
farther down on the same side. In the forenoon the first gravel banks 
were seen. The mountains on the left bank were becoming closer to 
the river, and the "country rock " had become visible on both banks. 
Nearly all the islands in this part of the river are timber covered 



5 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 79 

The signal smoke of Kheeltat, the bushy-headed Tyone, was sighted 
early in the middle of the afternoon, and at G.30 we halted at some 
of his cache honses opposite the point on the left bank where the 
trail from Lake Mentasta reaches the Tanana. At this place, in ac- 
cordance with my promise, I permitted the two natives to return to 
Nandell, which they intended to do by walking across the country. 
After a run down the river of 4 miles Ave halted for the night on the 
north bank, and about one-half mile above a tributary 30 yards wide 
with muddy water similar to the Tanana. During the day we had 
traveled on forty-one different courses, and the actual time (exclusive 
of halts) consumed was eleven hours and a half, the distance 45 
miles. 

After we had been in camp about an hour we heard the firing of 
guns, to which we responded. Shortly afterwards three natives ap- 
peared in camp. They were runners from Kheeltat, whose house 
they said was ''kootel-stee," a short distance. This was the place 
that Nandell, Tetling, and their ' ' medicine men " had so frequently 
implored me not to visit, but to silently pass by. Unwilling to pass 
through the country without knowing the disposition of the natives, 
and realizing that the danger incurred by the visit was scarcely 
greater than those we were accustomed to meet and would probably 
in the future encounter, I resolved to see the warlike Tyone. The 
traders of the Yukon informed us in July that they supposed Kheeltat 
would be hostile to any whites invading his territory. The runners 
had descended Kheeltat River in two small canoes, which they said 
could be utilized by us. At 11 p. m. Fickett and myself started for 
Kheeltat's, having been carried to the right bank of the tributary in 
the canoes, and having the youngest of the three natives for a guide. 
At 1.30 a. m., June 16, after a forced march over country showing no 
signs of a trail, we walked into the miserable looking house of Kheel- 
tat, very much fatigued. The accompanying picture represents 
Kheeltat, the bushy -haired Tyone, his son, andasub-Tyone, Deshaddy, 
who had preceded us from Nandell's to give information of our 
arrival. 

It was taken when they were on a trading expedition to the Yukon, 
and consequently dressed in their finest. With less decoration and 
less modern clothes upon the persons it would be a fair picture of 
the Upper Tanana men. As we entered, a frown spread overKheel- 
tat's face and he would say nothing. The absence of the customary 
salute to welcome us was rather ominous, and his silence was yet 
more so. 

Shortly after our arrival a few shots were fired, not in honor of us, 
but to assemble the clans; couriers were also dispatched for the same 
purpose. 

Exhausted by working since 5 in the morning, Fickett and myself 
immediately fell asleep, to find on our awaking two hours later, 



80 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

twenty-six men and fonr squaws in the small house, all attired in 
their best. The chart was shown them and the object of my visit 
explained, all of which interested them bnt little. My reputation as 
a " medicine man" had preceded me, and when I produced my med- 
icines, consisting of three kinds of pills, viz, quinine, and the usual 
Army purgative and anti-purgative pills, I immediately commanded 
their attention. Nandell had informed me that there had been many 
deaths among these people, and as nearly as I could understand him 
he feared they might attribute them to our entrance into the country, 
and this may have been one of the causes of his warnings to us. 

The same warm lakes, the same general appearance here as at 
Nandell's characterized the country. The consumptive look and its 
accompanying cough were more marked here than at the former 
place, and doubtless cod-liver oil would have been a more suitable 
prescription than anything in my medicine chest. The pills were 
given indiscriminately, but seemed to satisfy the natives. I must 
correct this; there was some discrimination, for the chief received 
one of each kind, a minor chief one each of two kinds, and a man or 
woman a single pill. 

Efforts to get two natives to go a part or all of the way to the Yukon 
were of no avail. From them we learned that there were remarkable 
features in the Tanana River, either violent rapids or falls. They 
would point to the canoes, make gestures indicative of capsizing, at 
the same time spreading the fingers of the hand and imitating with 
the voice the roaring sound of the water. From Kheeltat's there is a 
portage over to the Yukon at Fetutlin — the station now occupied by 
Mr. Harper, which requires six days, one of which is by water. The 
bushy-haired chief and all his following went to the mouth of the 
stream (Kheeltat's River) with us, the former taking me in the canoe 
with him. Like all the natives we had thus far met, they insisted 
on selling us their few furs, and seemed surprised that we were not 
traders. On parting with this reputed warlike chief, he promised 
to meet me on the upper Yukon in July, when the steamboat would 
have arrived, and said he would carry me a piece of caribou. My 
plans were afterwards changed, and I have not since seen him. 

KHEELTAT'S TO NUKLUKYET. 

At 7. 20 a. in. we started again down the Tanana, much to the dis- 
pleasure of the natives, who insisted on making an examination of 
our effects which they could vaguely see in our skin boat. We now 
counted twenty-eight men, eighteen women, and six children, prob- 
ably nearly all of Kheeltat's following. 

At 4 miles below we passed the mouth of a small, clear stream on 
the left bank, and 8 below we were at the foot of very lofty yellow 
granite bluffs, in a state of rapid disintegration, From these " Cathe^ 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 81 

dral Bluffs" the course for several miles was directly toward tlie 
mountains on the south bank. When at the very foot of the mount- 
ains the rushing of waters verified the statement of the natives, and 
we were indeed in rapids, whose course was nearly due west. For 
one half hour we were running them, wondering every minute what 
a few rods farther would reveal. The high waves in places indicated 
the presence of large rocks in the channel. These rapids (Cathedral 
Rapids) mark the place where the river cuts through a small range 
of mountains. Below them the land on each side is lower and the 
course of the river is much more to the northward. The hills on the 
right bank strongly resemble those on the Hudson in the vicinity of 
Newburg. 

Ten miles below the head of Cathedral Rapids appeared yet more 
majestic bluffs (Tower Bluffs) on the right, with a torrent stream 
on the left, whose delta mouth was imbedded in a field of thick ice 
and snow. We were at the head of Tower Bluff Rapids. Ever after- 
wards the torrent stream on the left with bluffs on the right teas a 
sure index of very ragid water. 

The ice at the mouth of the tributary, called by me Robertson River, * 
was the first ice seen on the Tanana side of the mountains. The gulch 
from which Robertson River flows bears W. 20° S., and marks a 
decided break in the mountains to the westward. It also indicates 
the general course of the minor range, a cross-section of which is 
included between the head of Cathedral Rapids and the head 01 
Tower Bluff Rapids, through which the river had cut. 

Just below Robertson River the Tanana spread its muddy water 
in several channels, which in turn are divided until in places we had 
a striking picture of Copper River. 

After running in these rapids for 8 miles the current slackened to 
G miles per hour for a mile or two, when we were again in rapids not 
surpassed by those just run. The upper part of the rapids caused 
me to consider steamboat navigation doubtful, but with respect to 
those 15 miles below there could be no doubt. The river was so 
divided into channels that it was with difficulty we could keep our 
small craft from running aground on the pebbly bottom. We were 
occasionally aground, when probably to our right or left, within a few 
hundred feet, was deep water. Once in a channel there was no halt- 
ing unless run aground. 

In places the river-bed attained a width of a mile to a mile and a 
quarter, and contained fields of lodged timber with roots turned to 
the current. Some of this timber gave evidence of having but re- 
cently been washed away from the place of its growth, the roots 
filled in with soil still fresh. Other of it, having been barked, and 
having lost the small boughs, showed that it was lodged prior to the 

* After a member of the party of same name. 
S. EX. 125 G 



82 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

breaking of the ice. Still other, from its well-seasoned appearance, 
showed that it had been lodged many years. These trees are known 
to Alaskan pioneers as sweepers, as are those which have the roots 
fast to the banks, with the trunks and bonghs in the water. Besides 
these were huge piles of drift timber lodged in the gravel islands. 
The lodging of trees is continually creating new islands and hence 
new channels ; the river is constantly and rapidly cutting away 
banks, and new ones are being formed. High banks were seen which 
are so recent as to be covered with a growth of very small shrubbery 
only, while several feet below the surface may be seen the roots and 
trunks of larger trees, evidently not in situ. At the present time the 
wearing of the left bank seems to far exceed that of the right, as 
evidenced by the distance of the river in several places from bluffs 
on the north side, at the foot of which it rather recently flowed, and 
by the new channels through the timbered soil on the south side. 

At 5 p. m. a halt was made for an observation for longitude and 
to measure the current. The latter, though decidedly less rapid than 
in many places during the day, was 6 miles per hour. We went into 
camp at 8 p. m., just below a small tributary on the north side, hav- 
ing worked ten hours in the boat, most of which was in rapids. The 
mountains on the left were showing themselves farther from the 
river and much higher. 

Camp 9 was left at 6 a. m. to follow the river, now more nearly 
confined to a single channel. Just below camp were high bluffs on 
the right and a small stream on the left. Ten miles below camp the 
river and mountains on the south bank, with high rocky bluffs on 
the north side, were undoubted indications that other rapids were at 
hand. 

I was loath to believe that the Tanana would not be a navigable 
river, but Tower Bluff Rapids emphatically settles the question, as 
do Carlisle Rapids, which begin with Johnson River. * This latter 
stream is in all respects similar to Robertson River, and also marks a 
decided break in the mountains on the south bank. The high bluffs 
on the right bank are contemporaneous with those farther up. Several 
compass observations gave a position for Mount Kimball, a promi- 
nent snow-covered peak, but not so lofty as the peaks farther to the 
west and south, seen later. Johnson River is very swift, with abun- 
dance of ice in its wide bed, and is nearly as large as Robertson River, 
whose volume probably does not exceed 30 by 3 feet. 

After nine hours in the boat, during nearly all of which time we 
were in rapids, we went into Camp No. 10, well tired by the exer- 
tions made in avoiding shoals, stringers, and drift piles. For an 
hour during the afternoon so dangerous were the rapids that the 
steering paddle could not be dropped even sufficiently long to permit 
a compass observation. 

* Named after a member of the party. 







SW. by S. Ang. el. 2^ 40' 



21.— Sketch o 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 83 

In order to get a noon observation for latitude, we did not leave 
Camp 10, June 18, until 1 p. m., when we began "shooting" chan- 
nels filled in with timber so recently from the banks that the sod 
around the roots was in many places undisturbed. Eight miles far- 
ther down were hundreds of trees lodged in the channels and along 
the banks. 

About 15 miles below Camp 10 a swift and muddy stream in a 
single channel empties from the south. This tributary of the Tanana 
I have called Gerstle River.* It is about fifty feet wide and seems 
very deep. It marks the end of the rapids, below which the current 
is about 4 to 5 miles per hour. 

Four miles below Gerstle River, Goodpaster River, one of the 
largest tributaries, empties from the north, is 25 yards wide, and has 
a very swift current, with water similar to the Tanana. At its junc- 
tion was a deserted fishing station and canoes, the only sign of na- 
tives seen since leaving Kheeltat's. This river was described by 
Kheeltat as having houses on it, and large fish in it, which I presume 
meant salmon. It is probably the limit of the salmon run. It is not 
strange that there are no inhabitants along that part of the river 
just described ; such a current would forbid any sort of navigation 
and would make an undesirable home for even a Tananatana. 

The smallness of the tributaries of the Tanana is one of its special 
characteristics. Five miles below this tributary the land near the 
river on both sides is flat, with a very limited quantity of timber, 
most of which is dwarf birch. The banks are covered with moss and 
grass. The lowness of the country caused us to suspect that the 
Yukon was near, but we were mistaken then and several times later. 
The only game we had thus far seen on the river, besides one porcu- 
pine and one gray wolf, was an occasional lynx or rabbit, more sel- 
dom a pair of geese. 

Camp 11 was made in a rainstorm, to secure protection against 
which we sought the densest cottonwood timber, which by this time 
we had learned to fell and so place as to give the greatest protec- 
tion. Sometimes, however, the greater part of the night was passed 
in a pool of water, efforts to better our situation being of no avail. 
With the exception of a few days on the Chittystone River, we had 
worn our clothes day and night since March 20. That this, as well 
as the scanty quantity and unusual quality of food, together with 
the exposure, assisted in sowing the seeds of scurvy there can be no 
doubt. 

On the morning of June 10 we left Camp 11 after having made fche 
accompanying sketch of the high mountains to the south. Five 
miles below, a small stream on the left, with a single vacated house 
at its mouth, was passed. Just below it is the only place where the 

* Having no natives with us and finding none along this part of the Tanana, we 
were unable to assign native nam?s to the tributaries. 




''■•■*>» 



-<^K 



Z 



SW.byS. An 



■: 



\ tr *% 



21.— Sketch op mountains south of TananA River, from a point nine miles above the mouth of Volkmar River. 



84 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

river attains as small a width as 80 yards, yet the current at this 
place (Mason's Narrows) is not more than 5 miles per hour. 

Four miles below Mason's Narrows, Volkmar River, the first trib- 
utary in size, empties on the north side. This, too, was a muddy 
stream, with a rather sluggish current. It was also described to us 
by Kheeltat as a fish stream. There were no signs of habitation at 
its junction save the ashes of a camp fire ; though 4 miles below, on 
the opposite bank, were three houses, one of which was probably 
used as a winter home. All were unoccupied. Here were graves 
covered with cotton cloth ; the first monuments of this type we had 
seen. This method of marking the graves is very common on the 
Yukon. 

Four miles below G-oodpaster River is a mountain torrent on the 
left bank, high cliffs on the right, and the head of Bates Rapids. 
As soon as we arrived opposite the bluffs the swiftness of the cur- 
rent was recognized. The river, which just above is in a single chan- 
nel, spreads until in places it is 1-J miles wide. Fifteen to twenty miles 
below the head of these rapids there are so many channels that we 
with difficulty found sufficient water to float our skin boat. The 
current all day, with the exception of a few miles above these rapids, 
had an average rate of 5-J to 6 miles per hour. At 6 p. m. we went 
into Camp 12, having paddled ten and a quarter hours. 

Two miles below camp on the left bank a small torrent washes 
through the timbered woods. It possesses a delta mouth to an exag- 
gerated degree, all filled in with spruce timber. A few hundred yards 
below it were seen in tents the only natives since leaving Kheeltat's. 
There were two women and one girl in the party, the men of it being 
absent for food. These were also the first natives who spoke of the 
river by the name Tanana. Above this part it is known as JSTabesna 
River. Their fishing stand was erected and dip-net at hand, but the 
salmon had not yet arrived; hence a hungry appearance prevailed. 
Half a mile below there were two fair-looking but unoccupied houses. 

During the afternoon of the 20th, below Camp 12, large masses of 
driftwood and sunken soil, with its vegetatio i partly submerged, 
were passed; yet further down the river seemed to have no bounds, 
having attained a width, as best we could estimate, of from 3 to 4 
miles. After nine and a quarter hours of paddling Camp 13 was 
made. 

This was left at 3 a. m. the following morning, June 21. Twenty 
miles below camp the current is more nearly confined to a single 
channel and is very much less rapid. On the last part of the run 
the current was about 3 to 3^ miles per hour. Two small streams 
(one on each side, as shown on the map) were passed during the day, 
as well as several fishing stations, none of which were occupied. Our 
rations of meat and fish had been consumed, and we were living en- 
tirely on the fat and tallow that had been reserved to fry fresh fish 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 85 

in, should it be obtained. After thirteen and a half hours on the 
water we made camp below the largest house seen on the Tanana, 
but which had, from its appearance, riot been used for several seasons. 
There were two flag-poles and several large birch canoes lying near. 
It is possible that these people, like the Midnooskies, burn or desert 
the house upon the death of its master. I know no other assignable 
cause why this house should not have been occupied the previous 
season. 

One mile below Camp 14 a small stream was passed on the left; 10 
miles below and on the same side, a somewhat larger stream of clear 
water. Living on tallow only, without any cliance of obtaining even 
rabbits, was not conducive to cheerfulness of mind, though we were 
running down stream. After eight hours on the water we were sur- 
prised to find two small tents on the north bank. All hands paddled 
with renewed energy towards them, to the consternation of the occu- 
pants, who, with guns in hands, rushed to the brush. An old man, 
a woman, and two children remained. From them we obtained forty- 
two small white dried fish, to be served with the tallow or grease. 
The weather had become very warm for a few hours during the mid- 
dle of the days and our diet correspondingly disagreeable. The cur- 
rent of the river during the day varied from 3 to 5 miles and was 
generally confined to a single channel. 

At 9 p. m., having paddled fourteen hours, we halted on a sand- 
spit in the middle of the river to avoid the mosquitoes, which had 
now become a great pest. The distance traveled could scarcely be 
less than 55 miles. During the day several unoccupied fishing sta- 
tions were passed. The absence of the mountains on the left was 
marked. 

From Camp 15 to the mouth of the Toclat River the current varies 
from 3| to 4 miles per hour, and the river is confined to a single chan- 
nel, excepting where an occasional wooded island divides it. No 
mountains are visible on either side. During the run of the 23d 
(twelve hours) no sign of a house was seen, nor was there any on 
the 24th until the Toclat River was reached. 

This river is about 20 to 25 yards wide at its mouth, and is partly 
the means of communication between the natives of the lower Tanana 
and the upper Kuskokwim, the second river in size in Alaska. To- 
clat in the native tongue means dishwater. On its right bank are 
two summer-houses, and on its left nine, an excellent proof that it 
is a good river for fishing purposes. It may be well to state here 
that if the exploration of the upper waters of the Kuskokwim is con- 
templated, the portage from the Toclat would be the most feasible 
route. The lower waters of the Kuskokwin were explored by the 
Russians many years ago, and more recently by Messrs. Petroff an<3 
Williams, but its upper waters are yet unknown to white man. The 



86 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— vALLEN. 

Toclat flows along the foot of a minor range of mountains on its left 
bank, whose bearing is NE. and SW. 

Two miles below it a camp of natives en route up the Tanana was 
reached. These had on hand a little meat and plenty of fresh king 
salmon, the first of the season. Our condition had already become 
serious, and had we not obtained food when we did from these na- 
tives we would have been in a most sad state on reaching the Yukon. 
Had we started down the Tanana two weeks earlier the probabilities 
are that we would not have seen a single native on the river. It 
must be remembered that Nandell's, Tetling's, and Kheeltat's people 
live on small streams away from the river, as do probably all the in- 
habitants during the springtime. 

The camp of natives we had just passed was the following of Ivan, 
the most influential Tyone of the lower Tanana. 

Their appearance in camp, at the very edge of the water, with 
thirty-five to forty birch canoes of all sizes fastened to the shore, the 
abundance of the rich-colored king salmon, split and hung up over 
the water, out of reach of the numerous dogs that had gone hungry 
most of the winter, was picturesque in the extreme. Their surround- 
ings were luxurious when compared to ours. It seemed that we 
had never seen bedding look so clean and comfortable, or the colors 
of calico so fresh. They were indeed cleanly when compared to us. 
We felt sure that we must be near the place whence their merchan- 
dise had come, and where plenty awaited us. Ivan's following con- 
sisted of thirty-five men, twenty women, and twenty children. 
N About 20 miles below Toclat River is the log house once used by 
Mr. Harper as a trading station also the scene of Mrs. Bean's 
murder while her husband was a fur trader there. 

Several miles above, the river follows along the foot of slaty bluffs, 
which show the last range through which the Tanana cuts. After 
passing them it becomes very wide and sluggish, with sometimes 
several channels. The volume of water is very great, as proved by 
the 20-foot sounding above Toclat River, where the river is 1,000 
yards. The run of the 24th was ten hours in a current not greater 
than 3-J- miles per hour. 

On the 25th we left the last camp on the Tanan£, and after eight 
and one-half hours on the water were at the Yukon, a fact we did 
not recognize until informed by a woman, who halted us 2 miles below 
the junction by firing a gun. 

We had supposed there was a place called Nukliikyet (Nuklukahyet, 
Nuclucayette), as shown on the most recent map, at the junction of 
the Yukon and Tanana. It is merely the ground where the natives 
formerly assembled for trading purposes. Where we halted were 
two women and three children, who informed us that Nukilerai was 
below, Nukluhyet above. Nukilerai is the name by which the natives 
know the trading station. Having obtained a canoe, Pete and my- 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 87 

self, with one of the women as guide, went back to the junction to 
find not even a fishing station. Furthermore, the woman, in her 
Russo-Yukon dialect, informed us, much to our chagrin, that ' ' Nu- 
kilerai, Kooshat natoo, chai natoo," which meant that there was no 
food or tea at the trading station below. It was too true. We im- 
mediately set out for this place, which will in the future be called 
Nukliikyet, in accordance with the name now applied to it by the 
traders of the river. 

We arrived at 2.30 a. m., where we received a cordial welcome 
from the half-breed, Andrew (Androosky), left in charge. The sub- 
sistence stores at the station consisted of about 3 dozen hard crackers, 
3 quarts of beans, 20 pounds of flour, a little salt, and some machine 
oil. The steamboats Yukon, owned by the Alaska Commercial 
Company, and New Racket, owned by Messrs. Harper, McQuisten 
Mayo, traders, were vainly expected up the river from Saint Michael's 
in ten or twelve days ; during their absence we must live on fish 
fried in machine oil. 

Fortunately, the morning of our arrival two miners, who had win- 
tered on the Yukon, Messrs. La Due and Franklin, arrived from the 
Upper Yukon with about 75 pounds of flour, 50 of which they kindly 
let us have. This lasted four days, though used very economically. 



NUKLUKYET TO NULATO AND RETURN. 



On arriving at Nuklukyet steps were at once taken to rate our 
watch and to determine our position. A few days later the watch 
stopped on account of the butt of regulator having slipped off the 
hair spring and out of its normal position. This having been re- 
placed, rating was again attempted in spite of cloudy and rainy 
weather. On such expeditions at least three members of the party 
should be provided with pocket chronometers or best-grade watches. 

While stopping at Isuklukyet we depended on fish for nourishment 
until after the arrival of the steamboats. The run of the king sal- 
mon was almost ended. After them came the dog, then the silver, 
then the hump-back salmons, and with all a few whitefish. It must 
not be inferred from this that all of the kinds of salmon could not 
be taken on the same day, but that the advance guard of each arrive 
in the order named. 

The natives from Tanana, Fort Yukon, and the Koyukuk began 
to arrive by the last of June on their usual trading and pleasure ex- 
peditions. On July 4 the station was indeed thronged with natives, 
all of whom were disposed to be sociable and to help to share our 
small apartments. Once divested of its novelty their society was 
not to be envied. They indulged in jumping, wrestling, and a game 
of ball peculiar to themselves. To show their patriotism a grand 
firing of guns announced July 4, a flag was immediately run up the 
newly-made pole, and a general shouting and dancing indulged in. 
In their zeal they had begun their salute before midnight of July 3. 
At noon we fired a national salute ; and in the evening was a general 
dance, followed by special native dances. The arrival of an old man 
from the settlement a few miles above was the occasion of an ex- 
planation and apology from me for having broken into his caches. 
When told that hunger had been the cause and that a reparation 
would be made on the arrival of the steamboats, lie replied that his 
people would do the same when hungry, and left satisfied. 

Saturday, July 11, with Joseph La Due and the Tyone's son, I left 
Nukliikyet to meet the steamboat, which was daily expected. That 
portion of the Yukon traveled during this canoe voyage has been run 
in with the compass observations taken by me, and differs but little 
from the same on the chart prepared by Captain Raymond, 18G9. 
Our first camp was at the trading station, %\ miles above the Nowi- 
kakat River and on the north bank. The agent, Mr. Cochrein, a 

89 



90 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

Russian, like all the traders of the river, was at Saint Michael's, or 
rather on the way up the river from that base of supplies. The 
picture represents the station in winter. 

We had passed the Melozikakat River, the largest tributary enter- 
ing from the north between the Tanana and Kdyukuk Rivers. La 
Due prospected on it for about 75 miles. It may be well to state here 
that I did not keep a record of all the islands passed on the river, as 
I did later on the Koyukuk, because I assumed this had been previ- 
ously done. The river has frequent wooded islands, but they are not 
so numerous that they could not be approximately located in such a 
running survey. 

The Nowikakat, claimed by some to be 400 miles long, is the largest 
tributary of the Yukon, excepting the Tanana and White Rivers, en- 
tering it on the south side. There has been some mining claims lo- 
cated on it by Mr. Cochrein. It is a stream of considerable propor- 
tions and should be mapped, though, judging from the topography 
of the country, I do not think its length can exceed 250 miles. It 
would be navigable quite a distance with a small steam-launch. 
Native settlements are frequent along this portion of the river. We 
passed daily three to five, each of which contained twelve to twenty 
souls. From some of these we obtained a few berries or young 
ducks, or perhaps a handful of flour, all of which, with the activity 
necessitated by traveling, probably saved me from the scurvy and 
other sickness, with which the party was suffering at Nukliikyet. 
For the food obtained along the route I could only promise payment 
on the arrival of the steamboat, which we were continually looking 
forward to. The farther we descended the river the more fish we 
found, but in other respects the more poverty-stricken the natives. 
This is explained by the scarcity of game, consequently the fewness 
of skins with which to clothe themselves and to barter for white 
man's clothing materials and household conveniences. 

On the night of July 14 we landed at Nulato, after a run of 201 
miles. There are three Nulatos, viz: Lower, Middle, and Upper. 
The former was used as a station during the Russian rule, but after 
having been burned, Upper Nulato, where we stopped, was chosen 
and used until abandoned this year. The middle settlement is on 
the small stream which empties half a mile above the lower village 
and one mile below the upper. It was the post of the so-called "op- 
position company," and used by that corporation until its retirement 
from the country. Nearly all the natives of Yukon, certainly all 
that can afford it, use tents during the summer time. They possess 
the advantage of portabilty and are more effective than the summer 
houses in keeping out mosquitoes. I have, however, occasionally 
seen mosquito bars swung in a tent. 

The delay at Nulato was very exasperating, so as soon as we heard 
that the New Racket had stopped below, somewhere near Kal tag's, 



92 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

descended it. Several stops were made for the purpose of taking on 
wood, and once, at Nowikakat station, to nnload the merchandise 
destined for it. The illustration represents the natives felling the 
dead timbers to be used by the steamboats. It is very interesting to 
watch the natives engaged in an industry comparatively new in their 
history, and to observe the skill that some of them display. Those 
living nearest the coast are considered the best laborers, while the 
value of those farther up is inversely proportional to the distance 
from the sea. On reaching, Nuklukyet, July 26, I found, to my sur- 
prise, Sergeant Robertson and John in a critical condition from scurvy, 
and Fickett and Pete looking as though suffering from a severe sick- 
ness. The continual fish diet had become nauseating to them and 
was working disaster by complicating diseases. It was gratifying 
to see how rapidly the party began to recuperate on wholesome food. 
Until the steamboats passed on up the river there was a general 
uproar, the natives shouting with pleasure one hour, the next 
threatening the extermination of the whites on the Yukon. Men 
that had agreed to go with me to the Koyukuk now deserted me. 
The Kdyukuks, who were so anxious at first to have me go and to 
assist me, refused all connection with the undertaking. While at 
Nuklukyet I had several conversations with the principal natives 
through interpreters. They expressed a desire to have schools among 
them and industries that would give occupation to the young men 
whereby they could earn money. These expressions I recalled to the 
quasi chief, " Spot," when his following refused to accompany me to 
the Koyukuk. It was not entirely without effect ; yet I must give 
each $1 per day and his food, also canoes for transportation of all 
from Nulato back to Nuklukyet. 



NARRATIVE OF KOYUKUK RIVER, 



Having purchased the necessary supplies, I supposed the start for 
the Kdyukuk could be made without the usual inconveniences inci 
dent to the beginning of journeys with Indians. Not so, however; 
for on the morning of July 28, when ready to move, I found that all 
but the three smallest Kdyukuks had left Nukhikyet during the 
night and that the four Yukon River natives declined to go. 

After considerable delay, the necessary number of Indians were ob- 
tained, and also two large dogs in addition to the three that had been 
packed across Miles' Pass. Fickett was the only one of the original 
party to accompany me. John Bremner and Peder Johnson chose to 
remain on the Yukon to continue prospecting during the remainder 
of the summer. They contemplated leaving the country the follow- 
ing year, either by the headwaters of Yukon and over Schwatka Pass 
to Chilcat, or else by the mouth of the Yukon to Saint Michael's, and 
trust to the kindness of the commanding officer of the revenue cutter 
for transportation to the States. Sergeant Robertson was to go to 
Saint Michael's on the return trip of the steamboat Yukon, which 
was to wait at Nulato for Fickett and myself until August 23. 

There were two ways of reaching the Kdyukuk River that were 
feasible : one up the Tozikakat in canoes to near its head, thence 
by a short portage to the Konootena, a tributary of Kdyukuk, and 
down it to that river ; the other by descending the Yukon about 
six miles, thence by portage nearly N. by E. across the Yukon Mount- 
ains of the present charts to the Konootena River, and by descending 
it as above. When the journey is made during winter, a still dif- 
ferent trail is used, starting due north from Nuklukyet. If the Tozi- 
kakat route be traveled it can be reached in canoes via the Yukon, 
oil >y a portage to it from Nuklukyet, the canoes being carried. Wl ale 
at Nuklukyet I sent out a party of natives to hunt bear on the Tozi- 
kakat, and they reached it in the latter manner. 

Inasmuch as the Kdyukuks themselves had used the second named 
route, I decided upon it. One of the barges that had formed pari of 
tlic tow of the steamboat Yukon was left in charge of Mr. Cochrein, 
to betaken as far as Nowikakat, and in this transportation was ob- 
tained to the point of departure on the Yukon River, <> miles below. 
I now had 7 natives and 5 dogs packed with food, the average pack 
of the native being 50 pounds, that of the dog 25. Fickett and my- 

93 



94 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

self were in light marching order, carrying only our instruments and 
weapons. The bedding for both of us consisted of a piece of water- 
proof linen, the remnant of a sleeping-bag used on the Copper River, 
and a single blanket. 

The description of the hordes of mosquitoes described by Lieu- 
tenant Schwatka as existing on the Lower Yukon is not only appli- 
cable to those of that part of the Territory, but also to those of the 
country north of it, even to beyond the Arctic Circle. 

Our start for the Koyukuk was just at the zenith of the " sand fly" 
season. Why this gnat, which exists where there is not now nor 
ever was any sand, should be so called, I can only attribute to the 
astuteness of the pioneers. Some consider them a worse pest than 
the mosquitoes. There are at least two varieties, differing very 
much in size. 

The party left the Yukon, at the mouth of a very small stream, at 
3 p. m. , July 28, and in a very short time was ascending to a high 
ridge, which it endeavored to follow. We were supposed to follow a 
trail, but if any existed in many places and for long distances it was 
more than we could detect, though having already had considerable 
erperience in such matters. A trail on the plains means quite a dif- 
ferent thing from some of the so-called trails of Alaska. The trail 
from the Copper to the Tanana is in many places well worn, due 
perhaps to the travel of the moose as well as the natives over it, but 
the moss over which most of this route lay showed no breaks, save 
an occasional displacement due to the passing of the party of Koy- 
ukuns who were preceding us. There were many blueberries and a 
few salmon berries along the way. After a journey of 10 miles we 
went into camp where a small quantity of timber and water could be 
obtained. We depended for guides on the Koyukuns, whose efforts 
seemed to be directed towards following along the high ridges. Upon 
these the timber is dwarfed and scarce and water obtainable only in 
small pools. On the highest ridges no vegetation of any description 
exists. 

We left camp the following morning in such a thick fog that a 
man could barely be seen at a distance of twenty yards. This fog 
continued all day, accompanied part of the while by rain, all of it 
by a strong wind from WSW. We halted at 1 p. m. to eat some 
hard bread, no wood being procurable for cooking. Here we found 
that we had wandered from our course to the westward. After 
eating we endeavored to correct our mistake, and at the end of a two 
hour's march in the fog were at the head of a tributary of the Tozi- 
kakat that bore east. The country, except where there is no soil, as 
along the highest ridges, is covered with a heavy growth of vegeta- 
tion, such as mosses, lichens, &c. Within a radius of 3 feet I 
counted eleven different varieties of plants. The rock of the barren 
ridges is largely fragmentary and granitic, with occasional pieces of 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 95 

nearly pure quartz. Our general course during the early day was, 
as near as the fog would allow me to determine, N. i° W. ; from noon 
to the tributary, NNE. A few minutes after sighting the Tozika- 
kat tributary on our right we came in view of one of the Melozika- 
kat on our left and were of course on the divide between them. 
This we followed in a NE. by K direction around to NW. by N., 
and went into camp on a tributary of the tributary recently seen. 
The heads of all the streams are surrounded by timber, and here we 
found no exception. Our camp was in a grove of larger timber 
than any seen since leaving the Yukon. One tree, a spruce, was 
nearly 2 feet in diameter. 

July 30 we left camp in a similar fog to that of preceding day. 
After traveling an hour beyond tributaries of Tozikakat the coun- 
try became less marked by ridges, our course being over swampy 
grounds that characterize so much of the territory of Alaska, even 
on high elevations. Over this ground the footing is miserable, the 
hummocks or tetes de femmes offer a very uncertain hold for the 
feet. To walk between them is to walk continually in water of un- 
even depth, which consequently is very tiresome. The hummocks 
are covered with grass, moss, bush-birch, or blueberry bushes. 
Sometimes all of them grow there, with an addition of an occasional 
very small spruce. 

Surrounding our camp was an extensive flat that had comparatively 
recently been burnt over, and a few small lakes. The cold wind and 
fog, though disagreeable, were welcomed as a preventive against the 
gnats and mosquitoes. There was no sign of a trail during the day. 
The natives unanimously agreed that six more days would be neces- 
sary to reach the Koyukuk. They were informed that rations would 
not be issued at the end of the fourth day. They believed it. We 
reached the river at the end of the fourth day. 

The march of the 31st was quite similar to that of the previous 
day, except that the swampy grounds were more difficult to cross 
and the lakes more numerous. In many places for long distances 
we waded up to our knees. The day's march was about 16 miles and 
the general direction NNE. $° N. The ability of the natives to follow 
a trail and their keenness of eyesight is shown by the following in- 
cident of the day. 

Early in the forenoon the field glasses dropped from their case, but 
were not missed for probably several hours afterwards. I never ex- 
pected to recover them, so threw the case to a native. After a few 
minutes, consultation among themselves it was agreed that one of 
them should go back for the much-coveted article. I never sus- 
pected that he would be able to find them and doubted whether lie 
would be able to follow our trail. At 7 o'clock in the evening he was 
sighted 2 miles in our rear, and an hour later he joined us in camp 
with the glasses. 



96 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

Three miles south of camp we crossed a tributary of the Melozi- 
kakat, the largest seen by us, 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. Our 
first efforts were directed towards extemporizing a raft. While en- 
gaged in the work, one of the Koyukuns, a deaf-mute, found a fallen 
spruce tree that was used as a bridge. 

August 1 the route lay over higher ground, with better footing. 
After four hours walking we reached the trail from the Tozikakat 
to the north, which we followed without difficulty. Three miles far- 
ther we crossed a small tributary of the Melozikakat, where the 
Koyukuns on their visit south had made a cache of some meat and 
fish. From this fact I inferred our portage was about half completed. 
During the afternoon we crossed yet another tributary of the Melozi- 
kakat, the last of that much seen river. The last 5 miles of the 
days' march bore N. 15° W. The distance traveled was 26 miles, 
the longest march made by us in any one day while in the Territory. 

The march the following day was, however, nearly as long. The 
cold, cloudy weather was favorable to moving along rapidly, while 
the wind helped to relieve us from the torments of the myriads 
of gnats and mosquitoes. At the end of the day's march the natives 
informed us that but two days would be required to reach the Ko- 
nootena. The following day in the forenoon we were on a ridge from 
which tributaries of it were visible. 

We had crossed the so-called Yukon Mountains and had nowhere 
seen hills higher than 2,000 to 2,500 feet in height. Their highest 
points were devoid of snow. From our position were seen two small 
tributaries, one on each side, emptying into Tatatontly Lake. The 
^outlet of this lake has the euphoneous name of Mentanontlekakat. 
The bearing of the river was N. 3° E. We halted for dinner on its 
left bank, near a most miserable house used by some Koyukuns 
during the season of fish in the lake. After dinner we crossed the 
river and ascended a ridge, from which the lake was visible. Its 
length is probably 3 to 4 miles. Besides it, 55 small lakes were seen 
from our prominent position. Our packers were young and anxious 
to test their own endurance as well as ours; so about 7 o'clock in the 
evening a running race for a full half hour, packs on the back, was 
indulged in. They stopped satisfied that we were able to keep apace 
with them, though I must confess that it was the most stubborn 
contest I ever engaged in, and more than once I regretted having 
made the start. The last third of the day's march, 7 miles, was NNE. 
At 8 p. m. camp was made, the wind was gone, mosquitoes numerous. 
Our shelter tent of three widths of cotton cloth was thrown over 
an elongated ' ' wickyup, " which was then made mosquito proof by 
putting moss around the sides and on the edges of the cloth. In this 
house Fickett and myself nightly sought repose. It was always 
constructed after the bedding was made down, because it was too 
low to permit any other order of arrangement. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 97 

We left camp August 3 at 5.30, and for four hours trod over a 
marshy soil to the junction of the Mentanontlekakat and Konootena 
Rivers. On arriving there several shots were fired to notify the vil- 
lagers on the Konootena one-half mile above, of our approach In a 
few minutes canoes came down the river and we were paddled up it to 
a village of five men. three women, and five children, situated on its 
left bank. The river at this place is about 30 yards wide and 5 or 6 
feet deep, with a current of 44 miles per hour, "We had made the 
march from Nuklukyet, in latitude 65° 8', longitude 152° 30', to Konoo- 
tena village, in latitude 66" 18', longitude 151° 45', a distance in a right 
line of 87 miles, by the trail at least 120 miles, in six and a half days. 
Considering the nature of the footing, this was a very unusual march 
and could not have been accomplished had not our packs been small 
and the weather cooler than that of many a day passed on the Yukon. 
It is a mistaken impression that so far north there can be no warm 
weather. During the middle of the day in midsummer, when the sun 
is shining, the heat is felt almost as much as it is in the Middle States. 

In running down the Tanana River I was ten days without foot- 
gear of any description, and suffered no discomfort. At the village 
of Konootena, about 10 miles south of the Arctic Circle, likewise at 
the village of Nohoolchintna, about 15 miles north of it, nearly all 
natives were barefooted. While traveling, however, protection of 
some kind is necessary for the feet. 

KONOOTENA RIVER TO FICKETT RIVER. 

At Konootena we had the usual difficulty in trading with the 
natives. At last two birch canoes were obtained, the Koyukuns 
discharged, and with our Yukon natives we started down the stream. 
After a run of .about 14 miles in a direction MW. -J-° W. we reached 
the Koyukuk River, astonished to find such a great volume of water. 
Before leaving Kuklukyet the Keyukuns had informed us that its 
source could be reached by canoe in six days from the mouth of the 
Konootena. After seeing it with its current of nearly I miles per 
hour. I realized this to be impossible unless its headwaters are the 
outlets of enormous lakes. 

The Koyukuk, where we first saw it, was in a single channel about 
300 yards wide, with high banks, covered with moss and burnt spruce 
on north side. Accompanying us were three canoes, containing each 
a man. Later a family, consisting of husband, wife, and small boy, 
in two canoes, joined us. The head of the family here, as on the 
Yukon, travels alone in a small canoe, while the wife and children 
travel in a large one. The two canoes we were using were " squaw" 
canoes. We immediately adopted the novel system of propelling 
them used by our traveling companions. We followed along the 
bank as closely as possible, where the current was least, and with 
S. Ex. 125 7 



98 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

light sticks in hand pushed the canoes forward. Fickett and my- 
self, with two natives each, had a canoe, hence each canoe had three 
pairs of sticks for propellers. The sticks were put in the water about 
as many times per minute as the average oarsman would put in 
his oar in rowing. If properly skilled in the way of using these 
sticks there need be no trouble in steering. The bottom of the 
Koyukuk was well adapted for this sort of work, owing to its firm- 
ness. Nowhere in the river did we find quicksands. In this respect . 
it presented a marked contrast to the Copper and Tanana Rivers, and 
resembled in many respects that portion of the Yukon between the 
Ramparts and Nulato. 

We found the water in the river at a high stage, due probably to 
the recent excessive rains. I cannot think that the highest stage of 
water is coexistent with the greatest melting of snow on the mount- 
ains of its headwaters, for this had taken place several weeks pre- 
viously. 

Camp August 3 was made 7 miles above the mouth of the Ko- 
nootena, on its south bank, at the foot of a knoll from which high 
hills to the northward could be seen. Once, while on the trail, hills 
partially snow covered, north of the Koyukuk and near it, were seen. 
With this exception no snow had been seen since leaving Nuklukyet. 
During the night of the 3d, between 8 p. m. and 6 a. m. , the river 
rose 18 inches. During the day and night of the 4th it fell 24 inches. 
It fell 10 inches on the night of August G; rose inches the follow- 
ing night, 13 the following, and fell 6 the next night. These radical 
^changes in its stage in such short periods are readily enough 
accounted for when it is remembered that the entire face of the 
country is covered with a deep moss, nearly as thoroughly saturated 
as a wet sponge, and that but a few inches below this is a bed of 
rock, frozen ground, or ice that prevents the water sinking. This 
condition of affairs exists in a more marked degree the farther north 
they are noticed. The rises in the river above considered were all 
preceded by rain in our own locality. From the mouth of Konootna 
River up to the Allenkakat River frequent islands were passed, the 
position of nearly all of which is recorded on the map. 

The mouth of Allenkakat is in approximate latitude 66° 37', longi- 
tude 151° 16'. Below it is a very high cut bank of clay, called by 
the natives Unatlotly. Why this should receive a name when prom- 
inent mountain peaks did not I could not ascertain. On the right 
bank was a miserable barabarra and a spruce-bough tepee — the one 
a winter house, the other a summer one, but neither occupied. 

The Indian with family who accompanied us was an old man. He 
had, as he said, been more than once over the mountains in which 
this tributary heads, to a rather small river, Basnuna, then down it 
to a large river, the Holoatna. He mapped out the Allenkakat, show- 
ing it to have five tributaries. He said it would require five days 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 99 

paddling up it before beginning the portage, which would also take 
five days. The large river to which the portage is made is doubtless 
the Kowuk, which Lieutenant Cantwell, U. S. Revenue Marine, as- 
cended during summer of 1885, and on which Lieutenant Stoney, U. 
S. Navy, is now encamped. At the junction it was difficult at first 
to decide whether the Allenkakat or the Koyukuk was the larger. 
The former can be ascended quite a distance in a steam launch, pro- 
vided no falls exist. Below the Unatlotly the land on the north side 
near the river is for 5 miles very low and partly submerged. 

We went into camp August 4 on an island 18 miles above last camp 
and 6 miles above the mouth of Allankakat, where I found a single 
bone, the os pubis, of the mammoth, partially imbedded in the alluvial 
soil. It was not in position, but had evidently been carried there by 
the water. It was in a fair state of preservation and to all appear- 
ances had never undergone any process of petrification. Here we 
made a cache of 50 pounds of flour and 8 or 10 pounds of bacon. 
These were made fast to the end of a long cottonwood pole, hoisted 
and allowed to rest against a standing tree. Other trees were cut so 
that by falling against the cache tree they afforded protection to the 
provisions and at the same time helped to mark the place. 

Along this part of the river the current seemed less than above or 
below; a short distance above is a decided horseshoe bend with low 
land on each side. Five miles below Camp August 5 is the small 
stream Sohjeklakakat, emptying from the north. Mount Cone was 
visible for first time when near the mouth of this stream. Though 
probably not more than 2,000 feet high, it is a very prominent land- 
mark in this locality, as is also a double-pointed mountain bearing 
NNW. This and Mount Cone were all that could be seen from our 
low position of the ranges to which they belonged. At 8.40 we went 
into camp thinking we had traveled a distance of 30 miles. When 
plotted it measured just 20, a discrepancy that frequently occurs, 
whether the travel be on foot or in boat, whether it be ascending or 
descending. We left camp in a cold rain storm that continued all 
day. At 4 p. m. we were at the mouth of the jSTohoolchintna River, on 
which is situated an Indian village about equal in size to Konootena 
village, and from the natives' reports is about the same distance from 
the Koyukuk as is the former. This is the village towards which 
our camarades de voyage, the Koyukuns, were making. It is about 
80 miles by the rivers from Konootena village, and is the last settle- 
ment on the Koyukuk, though the river extends probably 200 miles 
farther. Before permitting the Koyukuns to leave us, further in- 
quiries were made with regard to the headwaters of the river. The 
old man informed us that it would require three short or two long 
days' work to reach the Ascheeshna, a tributary emptying on right 
bank. In this he was right. He claimed that it would require fifteen 
days to reach the second tributary. Totzunbitna, also flowing in on 



100 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

the right bank. This I. doubted, and so expressed myself to the old 
man, who insisted that he was right, further strengthening his state- 
ments by holding up his bare feet and counting the days' marches on 
his toes. Furthermore, he claimed that it would require thirty days 
to reach the headwaters of the Koyukuk. Whether his latter state- 
ments be correct is a matter for future explorers to determine. 

The other tributaries named in their order by the old man are 
Klakasiuka and Nuzuntotakyuhoo, on left bank; Ezozwatna, on right 
bank; and Hoochitna, the last tributary or river itself. I have indi- 
cated these in dotted lines on the map. 

Our dogs could in the future be of no value to us, and on the other 
hand would consume much food if kept with us, so one was given to 
the natives, two killed, and two retained to be taken to the States. 
Having passed the mouth of the Nohoolchintna, we paddled and poled 
for two and a half hours to make a distance of 3 miles, where we went 
into camp. Our Yukon natives, in a strange country, were now be- 
coming very timid, worked indifferently, and begged to be allowed 
to go -back. All refused to eat supper. A few hours after reaching 
camp three natives from the Nohoolchintna village joined us, bring- 
ing several dogs and one or two king salmon to barter. Their arrival 
seemed to have somewhat relieved the minds of our Yukon natives, 
who were willing to eat some breakfast. When it became necessary 
to leave camp in the cold rain they again became faint-hearted and 
sullen. During the afternoon we passed high rocky banks on our 
left, which were of dark sandstone, much broken. Later some islands, 
above which the river was half a mile wide, were passed. 

After making 12 miles we went into camp 8 miles below the north 
end of Moore Island, in approximate latitude 66° 54', longitude 150° 
27'. In the afternoon of the following day we had the first view of 
snow-covered mountains, the highest of which, as we then saw them, 
bore about one point south of west. Later the range appeared to 
have a course east and west. A smaller range of mountains was 
visible between the river and the snow-covered one, and is quite sim- 
ilar to the highest land between the Yukon and Tanana, and I have 
called it Beck's Hills. Before going into camp snow-covered mount- 
ains became visible anywhere within an area of 50°. Several com- 
pass observations of Mount Cone served to locate it. A snow-covered 
mountain to its east showed Mount Cone to form a peak of the foot- 
hills of the principal range. About 10 miles above Moore Island, on 
the right bank, were the graves of several natives. The river had 
washed the bank away until the crosses which marked some of them 
were tottering, ready to fall into the water. 

We went into camp on a small island near the foot of Beck's Hills, 
after having traveled thirteen hours and having ascended the river 
23 miles. The channel above the Allenkakat is much more divided 
by islands than below, and the river has a much more rapid current, 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 1Q1 



The trees of this locality are indeed dwarfed, and are limited to 
spruces, cottonwoods, alders, willows, and some birches. Their 
foliage had already begun to show the effects of frost. This camp 
was about 67° 10' latitude, 150° 30' in longitude. We left the next 
morning with prospects for a clear day, a cold wind blowing from 
the snow-covered mountains. About half an hour later we were en- 
abled to get an observation for longitude, the first for several days 
on account of the rainy weather. 

Three miles above camp we were at the mouth of the Ascheeshna 
or Fickett River. Up . to this time no diminution in the volume of 
water in the river was apparent, notwithstanding we had passed three 
tributaries, one of which appeared nearly as large as itself. We were 
beyond the habitations of the natives, in a country of little game, 
with about 8 pounds of rice and beans, 10 pounds of flour,, 3 pounds 
of bacon, and 2 pounds of lard. It is true we had a cache of 60 
pounds of food 68 miles below, yet we did not know what to expect 
before reaching Nulato. After ascending the Ascheeshna for 5 miles 
a halt was made to take an observation for latitude at our highest 
point, 67° 16'. The average width of this river is about 100 to 125 
yards, with a depth near its mouth of 14 feet. Having become sat- 
isfied that this river would be navigable for many miles, we started 
down it to halt below its mouth, where the Koyukuk had 18 to 20 feet 
of water in it. 

We ascended Mount Lookout to get, if possible, the general course 
of the rivers and the mountains. From its summit, about 800 to 
1,000 feet above the river, we obtained a splendid view of the valley 
of the Ascheeshna and the mountains in which it rises. The extreme 
mountains whence it comes appeared to be 60 to 80 miles from us in a 
right-line course. The highest peaks I should judge are about 4,000 
feet high and were snow-covered one-third the distance to their bases. 
The valley presented no marked contrast to other valleys previously 
described save in the absence of lakes. Its general course is NNE. 

The bearing of the farthest visible water of the Koyukuk from 
Mount Lookout is NE.by E. For about 6 miles the river bears NE. 
i° N., then for about 15 miles it bends towards Mount Cone (bearing 
E. by N.), thence by many turns to NE. by E. The more abundant 
growth of timber along the water enabled its course to be approxi- 
mately traced. The mountains from which it seems to come are 
much farther away than those of the Ascheeshna, though doubtless 
the same. They appeared, as far as the eye, aided with field-glasses, 
could determine, to become lower to eastward, though not to west- 
ward. A break in the mountains bearing NE .was seen at a distance 
of 20 to 30 miles. It is possible that this marks the valley of the 
Totzunbitna, described by the old Koyukun. 

There are no lakes visible on either side of the Koyukuk. The 
mountains extended down but a short distance between the two rivers. 



102 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 



FICKETT RIVER TO HUGGIN'S ISLAND. 

At 4 o'clock we made for our canoes, glad to get rid of the mosqui- 
toes and sand flies, which were more numerous on the high land than 
near the water. At 5. 30 we started down stream, ' ' bound for home. " 
In a few minutes we met a Mahlemute (Eskimo) in a patched and 
much-worn canoe, heading for headwaters of the Ascheeshna River, 
thence over the mountains to where there were "plenty Mahlemutes. " 
Our natives being unable to converse with him, obtained little in- 
formation. His first request was for cartridges for his old model' 
Winchester rifle, which had been furnished by the Arctic whalers. 

As best we could learn, he had been down to Nohoolchintna on a 
trading expedition. He had quite a supply of dried salmon, some of 
which we obtained in exchange for tobacco. Having been informed 
by the traders from Saint Michael's that Lieutenant Cantwell, IT. S. 
Revenue Marine, would cross from the Kowuk to the Kdyukuk and 
descend it, I surmised that this old Mahlemute had acted as his guide. 
It was impossible to make him understand us, so we parted none the 
wiser on that subject. He had a small skin bag filled with the crys- 
tals of iron pyrites, which he brought forth doubtless imagining he 
had a treasure. When informed that they were valueless he gave 
them to our boatmen, who carefully carried them to the Yukon. 

The run down to the junction of the Konootena was uneventful. 
On the morning of the 10th we passed some women and children from 
the Nohoolchintna, en route to the Allenkakat for fish. They were 
miserably clad and yet worse sheltered from the cold rain. To keep 
her child warm a mother put it next to her skin, by raising it over 
her head and dropping it down the enlarged neck aperture of her 
parkie. From these women we learned that the old Mahlemute we 
had met the preceding day lived on a tributary of the Holoatna. We 
went into camp at 6.15 p. m., 2 miles below the Allenkakat, having 
traveled about 40 miles. We had stopped at our cache, which had 
been undisturbed during our absence. The following morning we 
were again at the mouth of the Konootena, 468 miles from ISTul^to. 

As we descended in latitude a marked difference in temperature 
was observed. We no longer had the cold winds from the snow 
mountains. At 1 p. m. we went into camp 17 miles below the 
Konootena and almost due west from it, unwilling to run further 
without observation for longitude. During the run of August 12 
(46 miles) seventeen islands were passed, the largest of which is 
Waite's Island. * Thirty-seven different courses were followed, the 
river varying in width from 250 to 400 yards. The map, though 

* Called in honor of Miss Waite, of Washington City, who has evinced a marked 
interest in the development of Alaska. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 103 

constructed on a scale of 4 miles to the inch, is too small to show all 
the islands. At 20 miles below mouth of Konootena were high bluffs 
of dark sandstone. Five miles below the sandstone bluffs appears a 
very peculiar high red hill, barren of vegetation. It was not unlike 
some of the buttes of the ' ' Bad Lands " of Dakota and Montana. I 
have called it Red Mountain. 

As we descended broods of young ducks and geese were frequently 
met with, and our fare correspondingly increased and improved. 
Above the Nohoolchintna scarcely a water bird was seen, but from 
this time forward we succeeded in killing from three to fifteen daily 
with scarcely any delay, and this while seated in canoes armed with 
one miserable shot-gun and a carbine. The run of the 13th was 28 
miles SW. by S. to approximate latitude 65° 44'. Camp was opposite 
Huggin's Island,* 14 miles long. Coming in from the north side, 
Batzakakat River is reported. We could not see it on account of the 
island. If it exists, it is the only tributary within a distance of 181 
miles. 

HUGGIN'S ISLAND TO KOTEELKAKAT RIVER. 

Ten miles below our camp we found a summer encampment of 
natives, Batzakakat, ten in number, including men, women, and 
children. Their nearest neighbors in an easterly direction are the 
inhabitants of the Konootena village, 200 miles distant. From these 
natives we obtained quite a supply of fish, dried during the present 
season and stored away for winter use. Men, women, and children 
escorted us to the cache on an island 1 mile down stream to see that 
the bartering was properly done. After leaving Batzakakat village 
the river runs southwest 15 miles, then northwest 10 miles, with high 
rock bluffs most of the distance along the right bank. In the middle 
of the channel is an occasional high, rocky island, partially timber 
covered. Further the course is west for 8 miles, then west north- 
west 15 miles. Below this the river runs in a most tortuous course 
to the Yukon, its meanderings equaling those of the Lower Missis- 
sippi. We halted for the night. after a run of 63 miles, which put 
us in longitude 150° 03'. A few miles above our camp the right 
bank of the river for a short distance was ice, covered with soil to a 
depth of 4 or 5 feet. The topography of the adjacent country is such 
as to permit an explanation of its presence similar to that given by 
either one of two theories laid down in the appendix to ''Beechey's 
Voyage to the Pacific and Behring's Strait." Twenty-five miles 
below the ice banks the Hogatzakakat empties from the north with a 
volume of water somewhat less than that of the upper tributaries, on 
which the villages are situated. A few miles below are high banks 

* Named after E. L. Huggins, Captain Second United States Cavalry, for a long 
time a resident of the Territory and a warm friend of the expedition. 



104 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

of stone, rich in color, and intersected with small veins of quartz. 
Twelve miles below the Hogatzakakat River we fonnd a family of 
Mahlemutes, five in number, encamped on a gravel beach. They 
were decidedly the most abject, poverty-stricken natives seen since 
we had left the headwaters of the Copper River. None of the family 
had clothing of any description from the thighs down, and the small 
quantity of it they did possess was made of caribou skin, greasy and 
ragged. Their livelihood was a precarious one, they depended for 
food chiefly on young water fowls, secured by means of a tri-tined 
spear. They doubtless had caches of dried salmon somewhere in the 
vicinity, but we saw none. They pointed to the high mountains to 
the north, indicating at the same time that they would cross them 
when the litter of pups they were training had grown larger. Their 
dwelling was the only one of its kind that I saw in the Territory. It 
was pyramidal in shape and covered in with spruce bark. At a dis- 
tance it resembled a much-smoked tepee of the Plain Indians, or else 
the house constructed of drift-timber over the dead by the Mahle- 
mutes of the coast. 

At 4 o'clock we were at the beginning of Treat's Island, which 
seemed to equally divide the water of the river. We were in doubt 
as to the channel to take. The natives decided the question and we 
passed along the northern side. The distance traveled by us in pass- 
ing from its extreme eastern to western point was 28 miles, while the 
actual right-line distance between the same is but 10. Since plotting 
the map the. natural inference is that we selected the longer route. 
Along the northern part of this island a portage of 1 mile would 
have saved travel by water of 12. 

We stopped for the night on the island 5 miles above an Indian 
camp of two men, three women, and six children. Between their 
camp and ours the Dakliakakat River empties, and from it the trail 
starts over to the Holooatna. It has been suggested that if a route be 
found over the mountains north of the Kdyukuk, it might be used by 
shipwrecked sailors when unable to reach Saint Michael's by the coast 
on account of ice. This supposes also the loss of their provisions. 
The routes exist — in fact, three — but an attempt to reach supplies 
at Saint Michael's, trusting to food to be procured from the natives 
along the route, would be fraught with more serious danger than 
a division of the party and the passing of the winter among the 
Eskimos. 

The most westerly peak of the mountains to the north and near 
the trail is uniformly pyramidal in shape, and is doubtless a land- 
mark to the natives. On the morning of the 16th we passed the 
mouth of a small stream, Dotlekakat, near which was a camp of 
Koyukuns, consisting of two men, one of whom was blind, three 
women, and seven children. In the afternoon a camp of seventeen 
souls was also passed, the only one whose inhabitants offered to donate 



a 






I 

A 




28. — Red Shirt, Koyukun "Medicine Man" and Tyone. (Taken at St. Michael's 

on a Russian howitzer. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 105 

fish. They vied with each other in giving the greatest amount. 
Yet later in the afternoon we passed another camp of one man, two 
women, and five children, almost opposite the most northerly end 
of Cumberland Island. We halted for the night a few miles above 
the Husliakakat River, the largest tributary south of Allenkakat 
River. It is 100 yards wide and enters the Koyukuk almost at a 
right angle. There is an Indian village situated somewhere on its 
waters, though its position is not known. Below this tributary the 
river runs in zigzag courses south to Cawtaskakat River, a distance 
of 42 miles. 

The Doggetlooskat River, 12 miles above the latter, empties from 
the west in latitude 65° 38'. While its mouth is but 10 miles by land 
from the most northern point of Colwell Bend, by river it is 40. For 
two days no mountains were seen on either side of the river save the 
apparently short range to the northward, containing the pyramidal 
mountain. The river in places was from 600 to 800 yards wide, its 
current not greater than 3i miles. The Cawtaskakat is reported to 
head in a large lake, around which a few natives live. 

Eight miles below the Cawtaskakat and 3 miles below the Dulbeka- 
kat is the metropolis of the Koyukuk River, the home of a famous 
medicine man, Red Shirt, who was implicated in the massacre at 
Xulato in 1851. when Lieutenant Barnard, of Her Majesty's Navy, 
lost his life. I had met him a few weeks previous, on the Yukon 
River, en route to his home from a trading expedition to Saint 
Michael's. On arriving at his village we learned that he had 
gone over the mountains, via the trail of the Dotlikakat, to Kowuk 
River, to guide Lieutenant Cantwell to the Koyukuk. 

Meeting Lieutenant Cantwell shortly afterwards on the Cor?vin. 
I learned that he had passed down the Kowuk before the arrival of 
Red Shirt. This village, numbering forty-five souls, is located on the 
right bank of the river, in latitude (55° 29', longitude 157° 07'. It is 
situated at the beginning of the Colwell Bend in the river, the dis- 
tance across the neck of which is 3 miles, while around by the chan- 
nel to same point it is 30. In the bend the river is marked by the 
absence of islands and high hills. On the morning of the 1 9th we 
, began passing West's Island, following the southern channel, and at 
I night camped a few miles below it at the junction of the Koteelkakat. 
! We were informed that to pass by the northern channel would re- 
quire a very much longer time. 

KOTEEL Ka 1 A\ 1 T TO NUL. \ TO. 

At the confluence of the Koteelkakat and Kdyukuk Rivers is a 
small island, on which a summer camp was situated; jusl across, on 
the right bank of the Koyukuk Kiver, below the junction, is the site 
of the station established shortly after the transfer of the Territory. 



106 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

It has been abandoned for a number of years. Its position is in 
latitude 65° 18', longitude 157° 16', and is 56 miles from junction 
of the Koyukuk and Yukon. This is the highest point reached on 
the Koyukuk by Lieutenant Zagoskin, of the Russian Navy, in the 
winter of 1812, though he ascended the Koteelkakat to latitude 
65° 35'. Around the abandoned trading station is an assemblage of 
three or four winter houses and a number of caches, which resemble 
the villages on the Yukon near the stations. 

Thus far in the Koyukuk region we had been in terra incognita; 
but farther to its mouth white man had preceded us. The mouth 
of the Koteelkakat is 75 to 100 yards wide, though the river appar- 
ently is not very deep. The natives said it was a rather small river, a 
conclusion to be drawn from the topography of the country. The 
mouth of the Koyukuk is almost due south of that of the Koteelka- 
kat, though many bends must be followed to reach it. In latitude 
65° the Koyukuk is but 2 miles from the Yukon, while 16 miles 
must be traveled by water to that river. Had we known this one 
of the natives could have been dispatched to Nulato to notify the 
captain of the steamboat of our near approach, and in consequence 
the party could have had transportation to Saint Michael's by steam- 
boat instead of by canoe and foot. 

Below the Koteelkakat are three small tributaries in the order 
named : Bitzlatoildeta, Gissassakakat, and Succosleanty, the last two 
on the right bank. The river along this portion varies from 500 to 
1,000 yards in width, with a current of about 3 miles per hour. On the 
20th we passed two camps of natives, about equal in number to those 
previously mentioned. The trail to the Yukon is in the vicinity of 
Succosleanty River at the beginning of Nulato Bend, on the most 
easterly part of which we halted for the night. A few miles above 
the Succosleanty, on the right bank, are indications of coal-beds, made 
manifest by pieces of slate coal found at the foot of a " land slide.'' 
Some large pieces of it were found that were of inferior quality, and a 
few small pieces that might be called a fair grade of bituminous coal. 

August 21 we left camp on eastern extremity of Nulato Bend, 
wondering whether there was an end to the Koyukuk River. The 
journey had become very monotonous; the high hills on the left had 
given away to low lands, showing that the Yukon hills had termin- 
ated, while to the west were hills similar to the ones we had seen so 
much. At noon we halted on right bank, 10 feet above the" water, 
for an observation. Cottonwood trees on this point were scarred 
to a height of 5 or 6 feet, showing that the river attains at certain 
seasons a rise of 15 or 16 feet. This would be sufficient to flood a 
large tract of land on the left bank. The place of our halt was in 
sight of Koyukuk Mountain, which touches both Koyukuk and 
Yukon water. We did not know at the time of our nearness to the 
latter river, which we reached at 1.30. At the junction of the rivers 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 107 

is a large island called Yukon Island, between which and Mount 
Kdyukuk is a distance of 1,200 yards. At 3.30 we halted opposite 
an island of the Yukon River on which was an Indian camp. In 
answer to our signal a native crossed over and informed us that 
the steamboat had passed that point the preceding evening, which 
naturally made us feel comfortable. A few hours later natives at a 
fishing camp informed us that the steamboat had left Nulato bound 
for Saint Michael's, which announcement was very discomforting, in 
view of the fact that the C one in might already be at Saint Michael's 
ready for her departure to San Francisco. About 15 miles above 
Xulato. on the right bank, a most excellent opportunity is given to 
study the crust of the earth for a depth of several hundred feet. 
The strata has been uplifted and the stratification left nearly normal 
to the water. We reached Nulato at 7.30, several hours too late for 
the steamboat. 



NULATO TO SAINT MICHAEL'S. 



The steamboat having left Nulato with a liberal supply of wood, 
as we learned from the natives, there could be no chnace of over- 
taking her, so a start was not made until the following morning. 
Some flour, tea, tobacco, and ammunition were obtained from the 
small supply of stores left at Nulato. The latter articles were used 
as money to purchase fish or such other food as could be found and 
also to employ help. At Wulato only one man's services could be 
secured, notwithstanding liberal offers were made. The four natives 
who had accompanied us since leaving Nukliikyet could not be 
induced to go farther, so they were paid and discharged. 

A start down the Yukon with a single native was made at 8 o'clock 
the following morning. I had hoped by making the portage to 
Norton Sound to be able to reach Saint Michael's nearly as soon as 
the steamboat. Had I known that the revenue-cutter Corivin would 
not anchor off Saint Michael's before September 4, there would have 
been no necessity for forced marches. Her arrival was uncertain ; 
furthermore, the anchorage near was such as not to allow her to 
remain in the vicinity during the strong winds which frequently 
occur there. 

We called the native we employed "Dandy, 5 ' which name was 
quickly taken up by other natives and to which he readily responded. 
He is the native that murdered the Russian, Ivan Kogenikoff, in 
1882, though a more peaceable Indian in appearance does not at 
present live on the Yukon. Dr. George F. Wilson, U. S. A., who 
accompanied Lieutenant Schwatka, relates the circumstances of the 
murder as follows : 

The Russian, whose name was Ivan Kogenikoff, was held in great fear by all the 
natives, not only on account of his naturally quarrelsome disposition, but on ac- 
count of the very summary manner in which he had avenged a murder occurring 
farther down the river some years ago, and many of them would have been delighted 
at the prospect of disposing of him had they dared. One night he was being liter- 
ally dragged home in a helpless state of intoxication by an Indian whose brother had 
been killed by a son of Kogenikoff". The Indian seeing him so utterly helpless and 
so completely in his power, struck him on the head with an ax, considering the 
deed justifiable in revenge for the death of his brother. 

At the time of his death Kogenikoff was living with Dandy's 
mother, whom he frequently beat, much to the displeasure of Dandy, 

109 



110 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

who also considered this in the accumulative charges against his step- 
father. 

Five miles below Nulato we stopped at a village on the left bank, 
where I employed the services of the half-breed Demoosky to pack 
over the trail to the Unalaklik. At 3 o'clock we passed Khaltat's 
village, on an island in the middle of the river. This is always used 
as a stopping place in the winter by traders going to and returning 
from Saint Michael's, a fact that caused our action in paddling by 
seem highly discourteous to Khaltat. We halted for the night at 7. 35 
at a small village on the right bank, having experienced the cleansing 
effects of a rain the entire afternoon. This camp is 65 miles below 
Nulato, and is the place where a native acquainted with the trail was 
obtained to pilot us over the summer portage, the one we traveled, 
and one which is very little used. Four miles below camp we halted 
the following morning at an Indian vil] age for ' ' water boots " (seal-skin 
boots). This is a village on Raymond's chart known as Yakutska- 
litnik, and consists of six to eight houses. Here I met the messenger I 
had sent from Nulato about July 25, returning from Saint Michael's. 
He had made the journey as Indians usually do, satisfied that time 
is not an important element in any of their actions. We learned at 
this village that the natives around Anvik had broken into the store 
and carried away all the supplies and ammunition left by the trader, 
Mr. Fredericksen, in charge of his wife. Our hosts inquired what 
would be done with the transgressors, with whom they evidently 
sympathized. I here learned that it had been planned by the people 
all along the river to take possession of all the stores at the several 
posts. Demoosky said the natives above wanted to do the same, and 
that probably fear alone prevented. This man is something of a 
leader amongst them and probably does more than any man on the 
river, unless it be his ally and fellow interpreter, Antoosky, to en- 
courage them in their rebellion against the traders. 

Six miles below Yakutskalitnik we reached the mouth of a small 
clear stream, the Autokakat, which we ascended 3 miles to the point 
of departure of the summer trail to the Unalaklik. Here we made 
a large fire and dried our effects, preparatory to packing them, as 
much as the then falling rain would permit. We left the Autokakat 
River at noon and traveled five and half hours over the softest foot- 
ing until we made camp for the night. Our course for several miles 
was NW. i° W., then it turned more to the northward, so that 
our camp on high ground was NW. |° N. from the mouth of the 
Autokakat. 

The morning of August 24 was clear, and the trail, which presents 
no appreciable contrast to that from Nukliikyet north, lay along a 
high ridge convex to westward. The mosquitoes and gnats form a 
lively factor in the inconvenience of trail work in this part of the 
Territory also. At 9 o'clock we halted on summit of high ridge be- 



RECONNAISSANCE IX ALASKA— ALLEN. HI 

tween two tributaries of the Autokakat. one of which we had crossed 
the preceding day. From this place the trail turns the tributary by 
making an extended detour. 

The principal tributary of the Autokakat bears considerably to 
west of the trail we followed. The latter part of the day's march 
was very severe. We had passed to where the ridges have given 
place to very high hills which necessitated continual ascending and 
descending. Just b?fore halting for the night we crossed in quick 
succession three tributaries of a Unalaklik tributary, the cross-sec- 
tion of the largest of which would be represented by 10 by 3 feet. 

We had traveled from 7 in the morning until 8. 30 at night, includ- 
ing stops, yet I do not think the horizontal distance covered would 
exceed 14 miles. The following morning on awaking we found a 
heavy frost resting on all the vegetation, that presented a beautiful 
picture in the bright sunshine. From a high ridge about 3 miles 
from camp we first sighted salt water, the only time in my life when 
such a sight gave me a "home-like" feeling. To our right was the 
principal tributary of the Unalaklik. 

At -2.30 we had a fine view of the valley extending to the sea. At 
6 p. m. we crossed the Sessekotna by wading, and at 8.30 went into 
camp on a high ridge, with no wood save a few scrub alders. The 
broken mountains, or rather hills, we had been continually ascending 
and descending were from 1,000 to 2.000 feet in height, and the end 
of a hard day's march showed but 11 miles to have been traveled. 

At noon, August 26, we reached the Unalaklik at the village 
Ulukuk. situated between two tributaries about equal in size. Efforts 
were at once made to secure canoes, and the natives, as usual, began 
the play of ' •Much Ado About Nothing. " These natives are Ingaliks, 
though all the other inhabitants of the river seen later are Mahle- 
mutes. The method of Ingalik transportation in summer is by 
small birch canoes, any two of which would have been insufficient 
to carry our party, together with the dogs ; hence resort was had to a 
"catamaran" constructed by fastening two canoes to each other a 
foot and a half apart, their axes parallel. In this craft we left the 
old man's village about 2 o'clock p. m. There was a current of 
about -t miles per hour' notwithstanding the very meandering course 
of the stream. A small stream was passed on each bank before 
halting for the night at 0.30, on the right bank, opposite a small 
tributary. At 7.30 the following morning we sighted a village of 
Mahlemutes, consisting of six men, with corresponding number of 
women and children, all living in tents. Here we sawbaidarras and 
baidarkas. the kind used on Norton Sound. The patriarch of the 
village joined us to share our fortunes and misfortunes, but more 
especially the food we had. In his language I detected a number 
of words used also by the natives of Nuchek. At this time I sup- 
posed the latter natives to be Aleuts, hence wondered much &i the 






112 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

similarity. Two miles below the village is a small tributary on the 
right bank. 

Our craft required frequent repairs, all of which were made by 
hauling it ashore, turning it bottom upwards, and adding more pitch 
to the leaks, or else melting the old pitch so that it would run into 
the defective places. We halted at noon, where we saw a woman 
and child a short distance from the bank, supposing a settlement 
of some kind was near. Investigation showed a huge barrel and 
peculiar kind of tub filled with salmon berries in a state of fermenta- 
tion and covered with small willows. Near at hand were two young 
dogs tied with willow sprouts. The woman and child had disap- 
peared, doubtless frightened at our appearance. At 2.30 we arrived 
at the mouth of the Amiklona River, on the right bank near the 
junction of which was a Mahlemute village of eight men. On the 
left bank of the Unalaklik and nearly opposite is another village, 
about one-third as large, at the junction of another tributary. As 
the coast is approached the river becomes wide and the current 
sluggish. The mouth of it is divided into several channels, and the 
adjacent country for quite a distance from the coast is as flat as the 
prairies. The village Unalaklik, reached at 4 p. m., is situated on 
right bank, on the coast, and is constructed entirely of drift timber, 
vast piles of which cover the beach. The village is indeed a curious 
spectacle, about half of each house being under ground and their 
roofs covered with soil and rank vegetation. 

The smell of fish, seal oil, &c, was sufficient to cause an investiga- 
tion of their store rooms. Large quantities of each, also berries, 
were found stored away in the semi-subterranean houses. The 
village was capable of containing several hundred natives, and 
doubtless does in the winter time, when all the bands are assembled. 
This village offers a most interesting place for studying the ethnology 
of the Mahlemute. Unfortunately, we found but two men here, one of 
whom I sent to Saint Michael's with a note to commander of the cutter 
Comvin, the other up to the villages recently passed on the Unalaklik, 
to secure a baidarra and crew with which to travel to Saint Michael's, 
about 55 miles distant by the coast. We went into camp under a 
baidarra 40 feet long that we found on the bank of the slough be- 
hind the village. About 3 p. m. the following day the natives arrived 
from up the river with a baidarra, much in need of repairs, and a 
crew of but two men. A few hours later a similar kind of boat was 
seen in the direction of Saint Michael's. While still making our 
preparations the baidarra recently sighted landed, bringing us the 
welcome news that it was at our disposal and that the cutter had 
not been sighted at Saint Michael's. Mr. Lorentz, of the Alaska 
Commercial Company, had directed the Mahlemute in charge to put 
the boat at our disposal should we so desire. 

From Unalaklik Saint Michael's bears about WS W. After getting 
several natives besides the two from Nulato, we left the 29th of 




29. — Eskimos ok Unalaklik River, members of our crew 






RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. H3 



August with an unfavorable wind for us. When about a mile out 
the wind and heavy surf on the bar we were passing threw the natives 
into such a consternation that with difficulty they were prevented 
from returning. A few miles farther we ran to the beach at a small 
settlement to enable a new member of the crew to get in. We pad- 
dled and sailed until 5 p. in., when it was found that the excellent 
footing along the beach was favorable to cordelling, a faster method 
of traveling than paddling and sailing. 

Our baidarra was 36 feet long. 7 feet wide, and 2 feet 9 inches deep, 
rigged with a single square sail, a la Mahlemute. At 4= o'clock the 
following day we were at a village called Kegiktowruk, and at 8.30 
at Saint Michael's, where Ave remained until September 5, when we 
started for San Francisco via Ounalaska. Mr. Lorentz, chief trader 
for the Yukon country, did all in his power to make the party com- 
fortable during its stay at Saint Michael's, and. furthermore, granted 
ns the use of his photographic instrument and plates. 
E. Ex. 125 8 



PAET III. 



THE MAPS 



TABLES OF DISTANCE 



115 



THE MAPS 



The most valuable map extant of the interior of Alaska is that 
compiled by Dall in 1884 "from all accessible data," and printed by 
the Coast and Geodetic Survey. This includes the work in the in- 
terior of the Territory of a number of persons, among whom are Dall 
and other members of the Western Union Telegraphic Expedition, 
Raymond, Schwatka, Ray, the Krause brothers, Xelson, Petroff, and 
others. 

The maps forwarded with this report include one each of the Cop- 
per, Tanana, and Koyukuk Rivers, and one representing part of the 
Yukon River and the Unalaklik; also a general map. 

Accuracy cannot be expected of a survey executed in the hasty 
manner in which this was, yet I think the great care taken to secure 
a correct geographical description of the rivers will prove them to 
be of much practical value. The topography of the country away 
from the rivers could not be attempted, except in the most general 
way, yet I am sure that the delineation of the mountain system will 
be found more nearly correct than on any previous chart. 

Each of these maps is constructed on a polyconic projection from 
tables published by the Bureau of Navigation, and, with the excep- 
tion of the general map, on a scale of 1 inch to 4- miles, or ^bAto- 

)n the map of Copper River the one hundred and forty-fourth 
meridian has been used as the central one, on the Tanana the one 
hundred and forty-seventh, on the Koyukuk the one hundred and 
fifty-second, and on the Unalaklik the meridian of Nulato. 

I have previously spoken of inaccuracies in the determination of 
longitude due to the non-uniform rate of the watch. The observa- 
tions for it were made by Private Fickett, while I recorded them. To 
avoid the effects of errors as much as possible we rated the watch at 
Taral, Nukliikyet, and at Saint Michael's, and reduced the observa- 
tions taken at intermediate points by using rates determined in rear 
and advance. When the results differed, as they nearly always 
did, a longitudinal position somewhere between the two was used. 
lis nearness to one or the other was given in accordance with the 
adjudged correctness of the rates. At best the longitude is only ap- 
proximate, but in the determination of latitude, time being a very 
small function, the results are more reliable. The latitudinal obser- 

l IT 



118 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

vations are necessarily a check on the courses determined by com- 
pass bearings, and the latter helped to check those for longitudes, 
while the reverse of the last statement should properly be the case. 

Throughout the entire journey the exact time consumed on each 
course and the direction of that course were recorded. Our rate of 
travel, whether by foot or by boat, was necessarily estimated. Had 
we simply floated down the streams the rate could have been fairly 
accurately obtained by measuring the swiftness of the current; but 
the value of our paddling, more or less spasmodic, had to be esti- 
mated. At all times the tendency was to overestimate, and in plot- 
ting some of the distances needed to be reduced one-half. Four 
hundred and forty-one compass bearings were used in plotting the 
Koyukuk River alone and proportionately nearly as many for the 
other rivers. 

The Copper River, as shown on the charts, is included between 
the sixty and one-half and sixty-third parallels and between the one 
hundred and forty-second and one hundred and forty-seventh merid- 
ians, and drains approximately 25,000 square miles. The Tanana, 
as shown, is included between the sixty-two and one-half and sixty- 
fifth parallels and between the one hundred and forty-two and 
one-half and one hundred and fifty-second meridians, and drains 
approximately 45,000 square miles. The Koyukuk is included be- 
tween the sixty-fifth and sixty-eighth parallels and between the one 
hundred and forty-seventh and one hundred and fifty-seven and one- 
half meridians, and drains approximately 55,000 square miles. The 
relations that these numbers bear to each other express the approxi- 
mate ratio of the volumes of water discharged by these rivers. Chart 
III, besides representing the Koyukuk River, includes the Yukon 
from the mouth of the Tanana to Nulato, drawn largely from field 
observations of the party. Chart IV contains the Yukon from Nulato 
to Yakutskalitnik and the Unalaklik, drawn entirely from field notes 
of the party. 

The general chart includes nearly all that portion of Alaska north 
of the sixtieth degree of latitude and west of the one hundred and 
thirty-seventh degree of longitude, and is drawn to a scale of 1 inch 
to 15 miles, or 950T00. The one hundred and fifty-second has been 
used as the central meridian, and, inasmuch as the rivers from the 
other charts have been reduced to conform to the proper scale, with- 
out any allowance for the positions of their central meridians, the 
relative positions of the rivers are not exactly what they should be. 

The chart of the Coast and Geodetic Survey has been followed for 
coast line and in other respects, while Raymond's and Schwatka's 
charts are chiefly the authorities for the Yukon. 

I am sorry not to be able to include in this chart the results of the 
work of Lieut. J. C. Cantwell and Assistant Engineer S. B. McLen- 
igan, of the United States revenue steamer Corwin, who explored in 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 119 

1885, respectively, the Kowuk and Nowatak Rivers. From the for- 
mer's report the lake source of the Kdwuk (67° 1' latitude, 153° 30' 
longitude) is taken. 

An outline map of the entire Territory has been constructed on a 
convenient place on the general chart on a scale of 50 miles to the 
inch. 



TABLES OF DISTANCES- 



DISTANCES ON THE COPPER AND CHITTYNA RIVERS. 





Description and position. 


Distances fron- 


i— 


Locality. 


ts . 
B>> 

P-i 


4 


1 
* 

53 


i 




On Hinchinbrook Island, 432 miles west of Sitka . 

Summer village of two houses near the western 
mouth of Copper River. 

Village of five houses near the western mouth 
of Copper River. 

Largest glacier, right bank, beginning of Aber- 
crombie Canon. 

Largest glacier of Copper River, left bank, lat. 
60° 44', long. 145° 33'. 

Northern end of Abercrombie Canon, on rocks 
in the middle of the channel. 

High bluff on left bank, vegetation-covered gla- 
cier on right. 

Mouth on left bank, lat. 61° 2', long. 145° 30' .... 

Mouth on right, lat. 61° 5', long. 145° 2?', oppo- 
site Cottonwood Island. 












46 
4 

28 

2 

6 

8 

14 
5 

10 
11 

10 
13 
5 

2 

,8 

22 

6 

18 

18 
13 


46 
50 

78 
80 
86 

94 

108 
113 

123 
134 

144 
157 
162 

164 
175 
193 

215 

221 
239 

239 

252 

178 
202 

233 






Alaganik (Anahanuk) 

Child's Glacier 






28 

30 

36 

44 

58 
63 

73 

84 

94 
107 
112 

114 
125 
143 

165 

171 
189 

189 

202 

128 
152 

183 








Camp April 2 

Baird's Canon 




Bremner River 










Small stream on right bank, lat. Cl° 19', long. 

145° 46'. 












* 


Taral 


Midn6osky village of two houses, site of an old 
Russian trading-post, lat. 61° 38', long. 145° 6'. 








Midn6osky Creek 


Mouth on right bank Chittyna 


13 


Mouth on right bank Chittyna, lat. 61° 24', long. 

144° 17', Camp April 14. 
Mouth on right bank Chittyna, lat. 61° 22', long. 

143° 51', Camp April 16. 
Beginning of trail to Nicolai's 


SI 




53 




53 


Junction of central and 

southern branches. 
Camp April 18 


Visible from high point of trail, about 18 miles . . 

On trail to Nicolars, midway between Chittyna 

and Chittystone Rivers. 
Left bank Chittystone River, lat. 61° 26', long. 

143° 17'. 

From Nicolai's house to mouth of Chittystone 
via the river is 58 miles. 
Messala River, left bank of Copper 


77 
77 


Nicolai's house 


90 
16 


JLiebigstag's village 

Coneguanta"s village 


Liebigstag's River, opposite on left bank, lat. 61° 

57', long. 145° 45'. 
Summer houses on left bank, winter houses on 

right, lat. 02° 10', long. 146° 30'. 


24 
31 


40 
71 



120 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

Table of distances — Continued. 

DISTANCES ON THE COPPER AND CHITTYNA RIVERS— Continued. 



121 





Description and position. 


Distance 


3 from 


- 


Locality. 


"5 "^ 


X 


'2 












tD 


S 

1 






10 


243 


193 


81 


Tezlina River 


On right bank, heads in Lake Plaveznie of the 
Russians. 


12 


255 


205 


93 




On right bank, lat. C2° 32', long. 140° 40' 


25 

9 


280 
289 


230 
239 


118 






127 


Sanf ord River 


On left bank Torrent, lat. 62° 44', long. 140° 22' . 


32 


321 


271 


159 




On right bank 


16 


337 


287 


175 


Camp May 30 


On left bank, beginning of trail to Batzulneta's. 
Near left bank of Copper River, on the trail .... 


17 


304 


304 


192 


Camp June 1 


29 


382 


383 


221 


Batzulneta's village 


On Batzulneta's Creek, 4 miles from its mouth, 
lat. 62° 58', long. 145° 22'. 


10 


393 


343 


£31 




A reservoir of Slana River, a tributary of Copper. 


10 


403 


353 


241 







DISTANCES ON TANANA RIVER. 



Locality. 



Description and position. 



Distances from- 



0) o 



Tanana River 

Harper's Bend 

Old Station (Harper's) 

Summer village 

Lorentz River 

Dugan River 

Camp June 22 

Cantwell River 

Camp June 21 

Summer village 

Camp June 20 

Delta Creek 

Delta River 

Volkmar River 

Mason's Narrows 

Camp June IK 

Good paster's River. . . 

Gerstle River 

Camp June 17 

Johnson River 

Tower Bluff Rapids .. 



Mouth, left bank of Yukon River 

Southern part 

Abandoned on right bank, lat. 64° 47', long. 151° 

14'. 

Mouth of Toclat River, left bank 

Mouth, left bank, 2 miles below Baker Creek, 

on right bank. 

Mouth, left bank 

Right bank, lat. 04° 44', long. 149° 37' 

Left bank, fishing station, 4 miles above small 

stream on left. 
Right bank, 2 miles above small stream on left . 
Right bank, 3 miles below small stream on left . 
Right bank, river very wide. Probable head of 

navigation. 
Two miles below camp. Head of navigation, 

lat. 04° 18', long. 1 17° 51'. 

Lilt hank 

Largest tributary, right bank 

Small streams above and below on opposite sides 

Right bank, lat. 04° 18', long. 140° 39' 

Right bank, second tributary in size 

Left bank 

Lat. ()4° 8', long. 1 15° 54', in Johnson Rapids . . . 

Left bank, head of Carlisle Rapids 

Lower part, Camp June 10 



18 
44 
66 

85 
97 

123 
137 
172 

180 
205 
227 

265 

290 
800 
805 
810 
838 
832 
850 
882 
408 160 



548 
522 

500 

481 
469 

443 
429 
394 

386 
361 



301 

276 
266 
261 

251 1 
288 
28 I 
210 

184 



684 
710 
732 

751 
763 



603 



846 
671 
£98 

[31 

CC6 

966 

971 

982 

'.".il 

998 

1.022 

1.048 

1.073 



122 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN, 



.Locality. 



Table of distances — Continued. 

DISTANCES ON TAN AN A" RIVER— Continued. 



Robertson River 

Cathedral Bluffs 
Kheeltat River. . 
Mentasta Trail . 

Tokai River 

Camp June 14 . . 
Tetling River . . . 
Tetling's house 
NandelTs house 



Distances from- 



Deseription and position. 











6C 


. 










an 

73 


c3 

2 


o 3 

? t 2 


3 


S3 
03 


P4 


& 


fc 


i-t 



116 ! 1,116 



Left bank, opposite Tower Bluffs and head of j 29 435 131 1,101 
rapids. 

Right bank 15 450 

Right bank, trail to Fetuliin 10 j 460 

Left bank, also beginning of trail to Nandell's . . 6 466 

Left bank 40 506 

Left bank, lat. 63° 32', long. 143° 58' j 8 514 

Left bank 32 546 

On Tetling River 9 556 

Nearly south of Tetling's 11 566 



106 
100 



1,126 
1,132 
1,172 
1,180 
1,212 
1,221 
1,232* 



Nandell's to Wolverine Gorge (north side Alaskan Mountains), 9 
miles. 

Wolverine Gorge to Lake Suslota= distance across Miles Pass, 49 
miles. 

Middle point of Miles Pass= 1,265 miles from the sea via the Tanana 
and Yukon Rivers. 

Middle point of Miles Pass =384 miles from the sea via the Copper 
.River. 

DISTANCES ON THE KOYUKUK RIVER. 



Locality 



Nulato 

Koyukuk River 



NulatoBend 

Indian Village 

Koteelkakat River 



"West's Island 

Do 

Camp August 18 

Colwell Bend 

Red-Shirt's village . . . 
Cawtaskakat River . . 
Doggetlooskat River 
Hussleakatna 



Distances from- 



Description and position. 



Pall's Island . 



Right bank of Yukon 

Mouth on right bank of Yukon, lat. 64° 44', 

long. 158° 10'. 

Most eastern part, Camp August 20 

Left bank, 4 miles below Bitzloit ocla River 

Mouth right bank, abandoned station. Indian 

village, lat. 65° 18', long. 157° 46'. 

Most southerly point 

Most northerly point 

Right bank 

Most northerly part 

Right bank, lat. 65° 29', long. 157° 15' 

Left bank. Camp August 17 

Right bank 

Right bank, 2 miles above southern end of 

Dall's Island. 
Upper end , 






£8 



24 



24 

40 
60 
80 

84 
112 
120 
134 
156 
160 
171 



-* > 

fa 

556 
532 

516 
496 
476 

472 
444 
436 
422 
406 
396 
385 
354 



2U 345 



467 
491 

507 
527 
547 

551 

579 
587 
601 
617 
627 
638 



678 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

Table of distances — Continued. 

DISTANCES ON THE KOYUKUK RIYER-Continued. 



123 




Treat's Island 

Daklikakat River. 



Camp August 15. . . 

Treat's Island 

Hogatzakakat River 

Camp August 14 

Ice-banks 

Barnard Island 

Batzakakat 



Camp August 13 — 

Twin Islands 

Camp August 12 — 

Waite's Island 

Red Mountain 

Camp August 11 — 
Konootena River . . . 

Mayo Island 

Allenkakat River. . . 
Sojeklakakat River. 

Fish Island 

Camp August 7 

Moore*s Island 

Mount Lookout 

Fickett River 



Description and position. 



Western extremity 

Right bank, north of Treat's Island, near trail 

leading to Kowuk River. 

On Treat's Island, lat. 60° 3', long. 156° 40' 

Eastern extremity 

Right bank 

Left bank, lat. 65° 53', long. 156° 3' 

Right bank 

Two miles long 

Indian village, right bank, western extremity 

McQuisten's Island. 

Left bank, opposite McQuisten's Island 

Each about 3i miles long 

Left bank, lat. 66° 3', long. 153° 57' 

Northern extremity 

Right bank 

On left bank just above Eight-mile Bend 

Left bank 

Mayo Bend 

Right bank, lat. 66° 39', long. 151° 35' 

Right bank 

Mouth Nohoolchintna River, on left bank 

On right bank (ascending the river) 

North end 

Near right bank, Camp August 8 

Right bank, lat. G7° 10', long. 150° 30 

The mouth of the Konooten 4=125 miles by 
trail from Nuklukyet. 

The highest point reached on Fickett River 
=99 miles from month of Konootena, 



Distances from- 








^ 








_ - 


V33 


- '> 






3 


~£ 


X 


fc 


219 


337 


231 


325 



28; 



17 ! 



29!) 
323 | 
347' ' 



ooo 
3(39 



400 
410 
446 
463 
471 
484 
507 
516 
531 
539 
554 
556 



319 
309 
288 
274 
257 
233 



201 
187 
173 
156 
146 
110 
93 
85 
72 
49 
40 
25 
17 
2 




786 
798 

804 
814 
835 
849 
866 
890 
914 

922 

£30 

C50 

967 

S77 

1.013 

1,030 

1,038 

1.051 

1,074 

1,083 

1,098 

1,100 

1.121 

1,123 



DISTANCES ALONG THE YUKON AND SUMMER ROUTE TO SAINT MICHAEL'S. 



Locality. 



Nuklukyet 

Dep. of trail to Kovukuk 

Gold Mountain 

Nowikakat River 

Melozikakat River.' 

Little Mountain 

K6yukuk River 



Description and locality. 

(Distances above mouth of the Tanana are 

taken from reports of Raymond and Schwa! ka. I 



Seventeen miles below mouth of Tanana . 

Right bank 

Right bank. lat. 05° 5'. long. 158° 43' 

Left bank, 2 miles below trading post 

Right bank 

Left bank, near Lit tie Mountain Island... 
Right oank 



Distances from- 



,_ 






419 
413 
378 
85 1 
312 
2-).". 



SI 



1,28 
1,293 
1,829 
1,852 
1,894 
1,451 
1,464 



124 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 



Table of distances — Continued. 

DISTANCES ALONG THE YUKON AND SUMMER ROUTE TO SAINT MICHAEL'S- Continued 





Description and locality. 


Distances from— 




o 




Is 


?4 


Locality. 


(Distances above mouth of the Tanana are 
taken from reports of Raymond and Schwatka.) 


^"3 




3 °5 


ed 3 








3 

3 








Right bank 


24 


201 


218 


1,488 
1,520 


Khaltag's house 


do 


32 


233 


186 


Right bank. lat. 63° 45', long. 159° 10'. PI. dep. 
for TJnalaklik River. 


43 


276 


143 


1,563 














Left bank of Autokakat 


3 


279 


140 


1,566 


Camp August 24 

TJlukuk 


On the trail, lat. 63° 56', long. 159° 57' 


29 


302 


111 


1,595 
1,619 


Ingalik village, between branches of TJnalaklik 


14 


322 


97 




River. 










TJnalaklik 


Innuit village, mouth of TJnalaklik River 

Ou Island of Saint Michael's 


42 
55 


364 
419 


55 



1,661 


Fort Saint Michael's . . 


1,716 




The Yukon River is navigable as far as Miles 






Canon, which is 1,784 miles from its mouth 












(Aphoon Outlet), 818 miles above Foi^t Yukon, 












and 327 miles above Fort Selkirk. The length 












of the river above Fort Yukon is 989 miles; be- 












low Fort Yukon to mouth (Aphoou Outlet) is 965. 











PAET IV. 



NATIVES 



125 



THE NATIVES. 



NATIVES OF COPPER RrCER. 

Upon examination of the natives of Copper River it is found that 
they are as a rule between 5 feet 6 and 5 feet S inches in height, though 
occasionally a man fully 6 feet is seen, and weigh about 140 pounds; 
that the color of their skin is a brown, tinged with copper, and much 
darker than that of their nearest coast neighbors: that their hair is 
generally straight, exceptionally wavy: and that their eyes are inva- 
riably black or nearly so. A great difference in mobility of counte- 
nance was noticed, the faces of some being nearly as capable of indi- 
cating emotions as those of a civilized people, whilst those of others 
are almost entirely devoid of expression under any circumstance. 
Their muscular strength is not so remarkable as their ability to travel 
great distances in a short time on scanty rations. Ample opportunity 
was given for measuring their strength and endurance with those of 
our party. The result of the first few days" work was favorable to 
them, but ever afterwards to us. It is true, however, that our party 
was selected with special view to physical strength. 

It is an unusual occurrence to see a father and mother with more 
than three children. Whether this smallness of family be due to the 
hardships incident to the gaining of a livelihood or to malpractice in 
some of its forms, I am unable to say. As a fact that with them, too. 
poverty may be blessed with children. I will instance that one of the 
most destitute families met consisted of father, mother, and four 
children, some of whom were sadly emaciated by hunger. 

The nature of their food causes so much wearing of the teeth that 
children are found with the first set worn almost to the gums; with 
adults the teeth are worn down to the gums while the body is yet in 
its prime. 

The faces show the result of subjection to hardships long before the 
hair begins to turn gray. Owing to their ignorance of methods of 
computing time, I was unable to ascertain anything definite relative 
to their ages. Messala. however, who lives on left bank of Copper, 
one day's march from Taral. and presumably led the party of massacre 
against the Russians in L848, was then a man of years and influence. 

The only sickness noticed among them was due to costiveness, 
which doubtless disappears as soon as the run of salmon arrives. 
But one natural deformity was observed- a shriveled lei;-— yet the 
toes of nearly all are abnormally crooked from snow-shoe travel. 

127 



128 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

Their sagacity in following trails and limiting game is probably 
not greater than that of others of the Tiniieh family, but would 
astonish one not accustomed to the skill of natives in this respect. 

All the people of the Copper River region were called by the 
Russians Midnooskies (more properly Midnovtsi), and all belong 
to the great Tiniieh family, which ^peoples the interior of Alaska. 
Those below the Tezlina River, from their association with Russians, 
have adopted some abbreviated form of the same, such as Minusky, 
Minoosky, &c, while those above it style themselves Tatlatans. I 
think the name Atnatana, the Indian name for an inhabitant of Atna 
(Copper) River region, would be a fitting term for the people of both 
tribes, who differ very little from each other. To particularize, I have 
used the term Midnoosky for the people south of the Tezlina, includ- 
ing those living on the Chittyna, and Tatlatan for those living north 
of the Tezlina. 

The entire number of natives on the river and its tributaries is 
about 366, divided as follows: Men, 128; women, 98; children 140. Be- 
tween Alaganik and Wood's Canon, a distance of 110 miles, there 
are no settlements, yet an occasional party goes down to Bremner 
River to hunt moose. On the Chittyna and its tributaries are about 
30 souls; on the headwaters of Tezlina and Lake Plaveznie, prob- 
ably 20. The Tatlatans, including the settlement at Lake Susldta, 
number 117. On the Copper, including tributaries between Taral 
and the Tezlina, are 209, the total number of Midnodskes. Mco- 
lai is autocrat of the Chittyna River and the fishing rendezvous. 
Taral, whilst between the latter place and the Tezlina this privi- 
1s exercised by Liebigstag and Conequanta, the former controlling 
the lower part; the latter, with the largest following of any Atna- 
tana, the upper. The chief native among the Tatlatans is Batzulne'ta, 
who is a shaman. 

As far as I am able to judge from the scanty records of the Rus- 
sians and my own observations, I should say that the change in 
number of these people has been very slight for many years. Their 
history, so far as their records are concerned, will always be a sealed 
book. On both bajfrks of the river between Chittyna and the Klawah- 
sina River, more/especially on the left bank, are frequent excava- 
tions 2 to 4 feet', indicating the sites of houses. The more recent 
of these show signs of the attached bath-house. In some older ex- 
cavations spruces of the largest size are growing. 

The territory of the Atnatanas is included between the one hun- 
dred and forty-second and one hundred and forty-seventh meridians 
and between the sixty and half and sixty-third parallels, represent- 
ing an approximate area of 25,000 square miles, all of which is 
drained by the Copper and its tributaries. Practically excluded 
from the rest of the world, it is but natural that they should be a 
conservative people. With mountains on all sides, their routes 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 129 

of travel are chiefly confined to the water-courses winter and sum- 
mer. Were it practicable to pass from Taral to the upper waters of 
the Copper by going nearly due north, one-half the distance over 
the river route which is and must be followed would be avoided. 
Between these localities are some of the highest mountains of the 
northern continent, and certainly the highest volcano ( Wrangell) ; 
below Taral are huge glaciers. Miles' and Child's, which hem in the 
river, rendering navigation extremely dangerous. Besides these 
geographical considerations, the climate, which is practically seven 
months severe winter, affects in a large measure the customs of the 
people. 

Their vegetable products are limited, scanty in variety and in 
quantity. Besides the berries, including cranberries, blueberries, a 
small red berry (called by them giniss), a small black berry (called 
by them gizneh), quite similar to the red one, is a fruit called tombd, 
that grows on a bush several feet high. It hangs on the bushes all 
winter, and may be eaten in the spring, even to summer, when it is 
very dry and nearly tasteless. The shape and nature of the fruit 
is very similar to the black haw, though it is of a yellowish- white 
color. The natives fry it in moose or other fat, at the same time 
mashing it well with a stick or spoon, thus making of it a palatable 
dish. Their chief vegetable food, however, is a peculiar parsnip- 
shaped root, but longer than that vegetable, which they call chass. 
The portion of it above ground is not more than 6 to 12 inches and 
not unlike a bunch of small willows, while the root is frequently 
several feet long. It is never cured, but is eaten raw, boiled, or roasted, 

Fish, rabbit, moose, sheep, caribou, bear, goat, porcupine, beaver, 
lynx, muskrat, goose, duck, and grouse constitute the mass of their 
food. Of these fish is decidedly the most important, with rabbits 
next in order. They have no process of curing save that by drying 
in the sun. The fat of the moose is melted and run into the smaller 
intestines, while the blood is saved in the paunch. It is of little im- 
portance to them whether or not their meat be cooked, and in boiling 
it is seldom allowed to become done through. The entire entrails of 
rabbits are boiled, sometimes with the bodies from which they were 
taken, again with other meat, and form one of the most potent anti- 
scorbutics used by them. Good or special food is always cooked by 
the men, and the refuse of all is given to the women. A boy five or 
six years old has precedence at meals over his mother. There seems 
to be almost no limit to the amount of food a hungry native can 
consume (and our experience when compelled to live as they do was 
in no respect different). A single kind of food must be abundant to 
furnish in sufficient quantities the necessary elements required by 
the system. A much less quantity <>l* mixed food satisfies. Like 
most other Indians, they seem to eat whenhungry, without regard to 
fixed intervals. 

S. Ex. 125 9 






130 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

The only drink that I saw used by them, excepting tea, of which 
they are passionately fond, and the liquors in which the food is boiled, 
was made from the plant (lamb kill?) used by nearly all the Tinneh 
of Alaska and by the inhabitants of the Hudson Bay country and 
Labrador. No special preparation of this is required, not even dry- 
ing being necessary before using. 

If they possess any medicinal preparations or medicines of any 
description they are in the hands of the shamans, who keep them 
carefully concealed. Their limited contact with the Eussians and 
Americans, though very slight, has taught them the benefits of 
more civilized remedies, and they will take any dose given them 
by a white man. 

The houses of the Atnatanas are of two kinds, viz, permanent and 
temporary. The former are intended for winter use and are annu- 
ally occupied during that season, while the latter are extemporized 
at any place where game may be found. The photograph of the 
house at Taral fairly represents the winter house of an Atnatana. 
In plan it is about 18 feet square, is built of spruce poles and slabs 
in a loose style, and is covered in with spruce bark. In some places 
moss is used to help to make it close. The walls under the eaves are 
nearly 4 feet high; about 3 feet from the ground around the inside is 
built a shelf 4 or 5 feet wide, which serves the double purpose of a 
seat during the day and bed at night, the space under this being boxed 
in with vertical slabs and used as a store-room and sleeping apart- 
ments for women, children, and pups. The roof is provided with a 
large hole in the middle, to permit the escape of smoke from the open 
lire on the floor. The entrance to the house is through a small " storm 
shed" about 2 by 3 feet, protected at the outer end by an undressed 
sheep or goat skin. Opposite this at the other end, near the floor, is 
a round hole about 15 inches in diameter, which is the entrance to the 
sleeping-room and bath-house. This is about 10 feet square and 4 or 
5 feet in height, nearly all of which is under ground, and is lighted by a 
small aperture over which the intestines of the bear are stretched. 
The sweat bath is so highly prized that every permanent house of 
the Midnooskies and most of those of the Tatlatans are supplied with 
the necessary room, the heating of which is quite simple. A large 
pile of stones placed on a close frame of logs in the main room, after 
the manner of an old-fashioned lime-kiln, are heated, then transferred 
to the sweat room by means of two sticks used as tongs. The circular 
aperture is closed with a kind of tompion and water is then poured 
on until the necessary amount of heated vapor is obtained. The idea 
of building this adjunct to the houses came through contact with the 
Eussians, with whom it is a religious as well as a hygienic measure, 
and is practiced as far north as the Alaskan Eange. Beyond this it 
is not seen until the Lower Yukon is reached. The temporary or 
hunting house, always built of poles and boughs of spruce, cotton- 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 131 

wood, &c, is rectangular in plan, with a passage-way through the 
center. Two sides only are used, and in consequence the ends and 
upper part are scantily covered. A log placed on the fire extends 
sometimes several feet beyond each end. A moose or caribou skin, 
in lieu of cotton cloth used by their more civilized brethren, is occa- 
sionally used to help make it water-proof directly over the sleeping 
places. Tents are not as yet part of their possessions, nor is metal 
of any kind employed in assembling the different parts of the houses, 
willow withes and rawhide thongs answering their present require- 
ments for this purpose. In general, the winter house, being on the 
river, may be said to be occupied during the salmon season, and until 
February, when the occupants depart for the headwaters of streams, 
where they hunt and trap and improvise summer houses. 

Never have I seen Indians more devoid of luxuries than are the Atna- 
tanas. The wealthiest count only the following vessels and utensils 
in their subsistence departments : One to three large kettles, one tea- 
kettle, one frying-pan, several wooden trays (native), several knives, 
generally home manufactured, horn Spoons, and two or three cups. 
In but one place did I see any pretense of furniture, and that was a 
peculiarly made box to put the tea-cups on. The average head of 
family dispenses with all the above save one kettle, one or two wooden 
trays, a knife or two, and possibly a small cup, which he invariably 
carries whilst traveling. I found no vessels for boiling or holding 
water that had been used prior to the introduction of modern ones. 

Their clothing consists ordinarily of two garments, trousers and 
boots forming one, coat or parkie the other. In the winter this is 
sometimes supplemented by a shirt made of rabbit skin. The coat is 
usually without a hood attachment, differing in this respect from 
that of the Eskimos, the head-dress being made from marmot or 
squirrel skins. The principal decorations of the wearing apparel 
is of beads, of which those one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch in 
diameter are especially prized. Very seldom are porcupine quills 
utilized for ornamentation. 

The men have both ears and nose pierced, the women the former 
only. In the nose rings made of shell or metal are worn, some of 
which are 1 \ inches in diameter. Sinew suspends the ear ornaments, 
wliieh are made of elongated beads. To be thoroughly en rdgle, 
a little red paint must be applied to the face. This applies more 
particularly to the women and children than to the men. Nicolai 
alone was never seen to use paint or ornaments of any description; lie 
preferred to adopt the style of the white men. The beaded knife 
scabbard attached to the neck is considered indispensable to the 
well-equipped Atiiataiia. Avhodoesnoi lake ii off day or night. In ad- 
dition to this, the tyones and wealthymen weara beaded ammunition 
pouch. Bracelets and finger-rings, likewise tattooing, are almost 
unknown to them. Coml >s made of the hoofs of the moose are ow r ned 



132 KECONNAXSSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

by some, while many keep the hair in condition by dexterous use of 
the hands. They are very fastidious with respect to the hair, which, 
be it said to their credit, nearly always appears neat, a shaman's 
excepted. That of the women and shamans is worn long, while 
many of the men in early summer cut it straight around at the 
height of "the middle of the neck. 

The unit of measurement with them is the distance between the 
tips of the fingers, the arms horizontally outstretched. I have fre- 
quently seen them measuring timber for a baidarra or the length of 
rope or thongs with this unit. 

Beads and ammunition are the mediums of exchange used by the 
intermediate men in obtaining the furs that are carried to the trad- 
ing stations. Mcolai leaves at his house on the Chittystone River 
during his absence at Taral beads, caps, and powder for the " Cal- 
eb amies,"* who arrive and deposit an equivalent in furs, tending 
to show how definite is the relation between articles of commodity 
and prices paid for them, and also the mutual confidence amongst 
themselves. • 

Their bows and arrows are quite similar to those formerly much 
used by the Yukon natives, though they are perhaps a little better 
finished. The material for both is birch, which is subjected to a 
peculiar process of seasoning, which might be called tempering. A 
rough slab about 5 feet long is blocked out of green birch with the 
small ax in possession of nearly all; then the knife is used to bring 
it down to dimensions not exceeding an inch or inch and a half in 
^cross-section. This rod is alternately put in the fire for a few 
seconds and then worked awhile with the knife until it has nearly 
attained its final dimensions, when it is placed where the smoke 
can envelop it. It may remain at this stage of the process several 
weeks before being again subjected to the fire and the knife. When 
finally tempered a bow 1 inch by J inch in cross-section requires a 
strong arm to spring it. I have seen splendid ram-rods made of very- 
crooked timber in the same manner. 

Bows and arrows are yet largely used by them, though they are 
being rapidly superseded by the small-bore, double-barrel, muzzle- 
loading shotguns, of which there are two grades, one very inferior, 
the other good, with laminated steel barrels. Neither of them ex- 
ceeds 5 or 6 pounds in weight. They fire out of these guns pebbles 
and bullets of lead or copper. The copper bullets are claimed by 
them to be superior to the lead ones for large game, such as moose 
and bear, for the reason, they say, that the copper ones will always 
break the bones, while the lead ones will not. The copper bullets 
in use on the Chittyna River are formed by hammering. 

Judging from the weapons owned by these natives and from their 

'-The term "Colcharney" or "Kolsaina" is of Russian origin, and is applied by 
the Midnooskies to all people not belonging to their tribe. 



^ 



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' ^A J <^tV^ 



£0B28p^^» 



3gmflE 





17. — BOW AND ARROWS AND MlDNOOSKY BAIDARRA FRAMES. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEX. 133 

docile and mirthful characteristics, I should not consider them a 
warlike people. 

In building their houses the only implements used, besides the 
ax and knife, is an adz made by securing to an elbowed stick with 
rawhide strings a flat piece of iron tempered by themselves. 

They are by no means of an inventive turn, many of them obtain- 
ing their snow-shoes from the Colcharnies; nevertheless they make 
their toboggans and sleds, which possess the valuable qualities of 
lightness and durability. 

As before stated, their routes of travel are chiefly on or near water- 
courses. When a long journey down the river is contemplated or 
a trip to Nuchek is decided upon, a skin boat is built; but if the 
distance be short, a raft made of four logs fastened with Avillow 
withes is constructed. In ascending the river with a boat only one 
method can be used, that of " cordeliing. " A party of Tatlatans were 
passed above the Chitsletchina en route to Taral in a baidarra for the 
fishing season. The skins of their boat were to be dressed at the 
destination and made into clothing, and the return trip was not con- 
templated until the ice had formed on the river, thus enabling them 
to sledge back. There is a trail along the river from Taral to the 
mouth of Slana River, though not always on the same bank of it; in 
some cases it is 2 or 3 miles from the river. 

To every member of a family belongs on an average three dogs, 
which are used for hunting moose and bear and other game, and for 
carrying packs. They are a source of great annoyance in the vicinity 
of rabbit snares unless kept at the house, usually by shoving one or 
both front feet through a string tied around the neck. As pack 
animals they are exceedingly valuable to people situated as their 
masters are. They do not average more than 18 to 20 inches in 
height, yet they can carry for short distances 30 to 33 pounds, and 
day after day 25 pounds. I can heartily recommend a pack train of 
these animals for journeys where the greatest transporting power 
consuming the least quantity of food is desirable. These dogs are 
never harnessed to the sleds, which the natives haul and push, but 
transport their burdens directly on the back. The men very seldom 
carry packs other than their arms and bedding, the work of trans- 
portation being assigned to the women, who pack themselves and 
manage-the train of dogs. Canoe transportation in none of its tonus 
is attempted on the Copper or any of its tributaries, nor is it proba- 
ble that it ever will be. owing to the remarkably rapid currenl pro- 
duced by the unusual fall in the river of 3. 160 feet in 33<) miles. 

The chief amusement of these people other than eating, and the 
one they always resort to when hunger is satisfied, Ls singing. Un- 
assisted by any musical instrument, not even any form of the huu- 
tiim, nearly all join in the songs, usually Led by the young i 
and boys. These are numerous and varied in c 



134 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 



intended -for courtship being much less exciting than the more epic 
ones. Singing is frequently indulged in while enjoying a meal, and 
all the bodies may be seen keeping perfect time to it. The children 
are taught to sing almost as soon as to talk. When dancing accom- 
panies, its violence is in direct proportion to the stress of voice. 

The spoken language is markedly accented, and seldom are more 
than three consecutive words uttered with the same intonation. 
Most dissyllabic nouns and many adjectives are accented on the last 
syllable. The practice of delivering orations is as frequent amongst 
them as among the Sioux or Cheyennes. The following limited 
vocabulary may serve to give a faint idea of the nature of the lan- 
guage. The annexed numerals of the White Mountain Apaches, as 
obtained from Lieut. T. B. Dugan, U. S. A.,* who was ten months 
on the San Carlos Reservation, shows an astonishing similarity to the 
same of the Atnatanas, which I trust may lead to a more thorough 
investigation of the matter, f On further comparison of our respec- 
tive limited vocabularies a few nouns almost identical in sound and 
meaning were found to exist. 



English. 


Midnoosky. 


English. 


Midnoosky. 




Keek. 

Sekai. 

Skunk ai. 

Sklekay. 

Slukkay. 

Sukachay. 

Tenayga. 

Konnai. 

Tebay. 

S'bai.. 

Tekant. 

Nukleksy. 

Nooteay. 

Chooga. 

Nellay. 

Chahny. 

Gak. 

Chiless. 

Nent. 

Trollai. 

Clritz. 

Tin. 

Bin. 

To. 

Na. 

Niai. 

Teechin. 




Hoonak. 

Sayzell. 

Dalkak. 

Tetagin. 

Minta. 

Se. 

Nin. 

T'kwully. 

Kooteshit. 

Siyo6, 

Cuttlestee. 

Wallay. 

Katahwot. 

Traykcha. 

Tulchone. 

Keelan. 

Tebay. 

Tazee. 
Deschane. 
Ho6na. 
Ah'ny. 
Nastala. 
Dona keelan? 
To unto. 
Keunchilly. 


Woman 

Child 


Sweat-house 


Grease 

To-day 


Dog 


Salmon (small) 




I 






Caribou 


None, nothing, few 

Far, a long distance 




Wolf 

Fox 


A short distance 

Good 

Bad 










Small 




Plenty 




Hot 


Marmot 

Smooth ground 


Cold 

Tired 




Wood 


To go 






To sleep 






River 

Sun 


• Give me some water 

Mount Wrangell 


Food 





* I am under obligations to Lieutenant Dugan for much valuable assistance in 
making the report. 

f Since writing this I have learned from Mr. O. T. Mason, Director of the Ethno- 
logical Department of the Smithsonian, that the relationship of the Tiimeh family 
with the Southern Indians was discovered by Mr. Turner many years since. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 



135 



English. Midnoosky. 


Apache. 


One Suskai 


Daschlai. 

Nakee. 

Tagy. 

Dingy. 

Schlai. 

Goostan. 

Goosetty. 

Saybee. 

Goostai. 

Gooneznun. 


Two 


Natayky 

Tagy 






Dinky 


Five 




Six . . 








Eight 


Klahinky 

Zutlakwalo 




Ten 









Notwithstanding the fact that women are decidedly in the minority 
among the Atnatanas, polygamy is practiced to a limited extent. 
How far they observed the laws of consanguinity in their marriages 
I do not know, but that an occasional Midnoosky marries a Tatlatan 
is a fact, brought about possibly by that desire to avoid marriages 
of relations. The wives are treated with very little consideration, 
and are valued in proportion to their ability to pack and do general 
work. They and their children are always left in destitute circum- 
stances at the death of their husband, however wealthy he may have 
been. This arises from the custom of distributing among the tribe 
at his death the property, the accumulation of which seems to be a 
great pride because the demonstration at the obsequies will be in 
proportion to the wealth of the deceased. The oldest son, however 
young, becomes the head of the family at the death of the father. 
The treatment of adopted children is not different from that of the 
natural heirs. Very small children are carried in a kind of birch 
chair or cradle, the legs hanging over, while older ones sit on the 
pack, with a leg passing on each side of the mother. 

The social organization seems to be divided into the following 
classes: tyones, skillies (near relatives of a tyone), shamans or 
medicine-men, and vassals of varying degrees of servitude. In all 
assemblies seats are rigidly assigned according to rank, which is 
well established among them. The tyones would barely condescend to 
consider any of us their equals, nor did they fail to express disgust 
at seeing the head of our party carrying a pack or pulling on a rope. 

Among the Midnooskies the influence of the shamans is much less 
thai] with the Tatlatans, a fact due, I suppose, to contact with the 
Russians. Nicolai, an influential chief, would not tolerate them, 
though he himself claimed to be able to perform wonderful cure* ; 
certainly many natives, far and near, believed him. His power i; 
supposed to come from the church (Greek), of which he is an apostle. 
He wears on his hat a Greek cross as talisman, and has a small quan- 
tity of paper and a pencil, with which he pretends to keep a record 
ol all matters of importance to his people. It is not strange that 



136 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

with his unusually keen perceptive faculties he deceives his neigh 
bors, as shown by the following: At Kheeltat's, about 350 miles from 
Taral as we traveled, was seen a native carrying a highly valued brass 
cross and some hieroglyphics, both made by Nicolai, who had doubt- 
less received a liberal allowance in furs for them. Some have such 
confidence in his healing power as to send the garment of a sick 
child many miles to him in order that he may sleep on it. Liebigs- 
tag, a tyone who has several shamans in his following, caused all to 
absent themselves from his camp on hearing of our near approach. 
Farther up the river, however, they are comparatively numerous, and 
are detected by the uncombed, uncut condition of their hair. They 
are non-producers, whose missions are those of priest and prophet of 
the most primitive style. 

The skillies are necessarily many, and not a few of them have 
vassals at their beck and call. I have seen one fourteen or fifteen 
years of age, sitting within a few feet of the river, order a man 6 
feet high, a vassal, to bring him water. These menials are used for 
all kinds of work, and are as completely under the control of their 
masters as they possibly could be, yet I never heard of corporal 
punishment being administered to them. It is but natural to suppose 
that a threat of depriving them of food or shelter in their poverty- 
stricken condition would be sufficient incentive to urge them to any 
length of obedience. 

A family is driven to a state of dependency at the death of its 
head 3 not only on account of all property being distributed, but also 
from the fact of the house being burned. The dead are put under 
the ground and the site marked by a square frame, about 3 by 5 in 
plan, placed above. There seems to be no special ceremony attend- 
ing marriage ; a man possessing a few kettles, &c. , is always eligi- 
ble, and when he meets his fate takes her. 

TAN AN A RIVER NATIVES. 

What has been said of the Atnatanas will, in a large measure, 
apply to the natives of the Upper Tanana, though the frequency of 
the visits of these latter to the Yukon River has had considerable 
influence in modifying their customs and dress. They have almost 
entirely ceased to wear nose-rings, and but few wear ornaments in 
the ears. Opportunities for observing the customs of these people 
were not as favorable as were those for studying the Atnatanas, 
on account of the hurried manner in which we passed through the 
Territory. 

The natives of the Upper Tanana call that river Nabesna. For uni- 
formity and by analogy to the term applied by Copper River natives 
to themselves, I have called them Nabesnataiias. For the same 
reason I have applied the term Tananataiias to all the natives of the 
river. The natives of the lower part, embracing two or three small 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 137 

tribes, each with a name, have for convenience been called Nukluk- 
tanas. The name suggests its applicability. These natives are not 
unlike those around ISTukhikyet. Minook, the interpreter at Fort 
Reliance, gave me the following names for the tribes along the Ta- 
nana. I record them for what they are worth. This man was never 
on the Tanana River, though he is considered one of the best inter- 
preters of the many dialects of the Tinneh language. These names 
are supposed to be the ones applied by the tribes to themselves. 
Beginning near the upper waters he says are the Nutzotin, includ- 
ing Nandell's and Tetling's following ; after them, in order, are the 
Mantotin, Tolwatin, Clatchotin, and Huntlatin. The termination 
tin is but another form of the word representing "people." The 
words tena, tenna, tana, tinneh, tinehh&Ye all been used to mean 
the same, and the word Dene, as applied to some of the people of the 
Hudson Bay country, is intended to represent the French phonetics 
for a native word meaning ' 'people. " 

The Tatlatans are not only in habitation an intermediate people 
between the Midnodskies and Nabesnatanas, but also in custom and 
language. There are some words common to all of them, though a 
marked difference in the accentuation is observed between that of 
those north of the range and that of those south of it. A peculiar 
drawling tone characterizes, in a marked degree, the Nabesnatanas, 
in a slight degree the Tatlatans, whilst the Midnodskies are distin- 
guished by a most energetically accentuated language. These last 
converse with the Tatlatans with less ease than do the latter with 
the Nabesnatanas, who readily communicate with the natives around 
Fort Reliance and Fetutlin, on the Yukon. 

I estimate the entire population of the Tanana River and its tribu- 
taries to be between 550 and GOO, though no very accurate idea can be 
formed of the number of a people living as they do, without visiting 
their settlements, very few of which are on the main river. Around 
Nandell's and Tetling's we counted 40 men, 32 women, and 25 chil- 
dren; around Kheeltat's, 28 men, 18 women, and 6 children; a total of 
149. Between Kheeltat's and Toclat River there were but two camps, 
each containing about eight souls. Below Toclat we passed but one 
camp, that of Ivan, consisting of 31 men, 18 women, and 20 children. 
The entire number of natives seen on or near the Tanana was 232. 
Between Kheeltat's and Delta River, marked on the map as "head of 
navigation," the only indication of natives, save an occasional blazed 
tree, is the camping ground at the mouth of Volkmar River. Below 
Delta River are frequent camps, many of which are doubtless used by 
natives during the salmon season. 

Should the Nabesnatanas descend the Tanana to its mouth for trad- 
ing purposes, a return could not be made until the winter time; this 
journey, however, is not a necessity with them, on account of their 
ability to obtain ammunition from Fort Reliance or Fetutlin by a 



138 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

portage of six days. It is not more probable that the Nukluktanas 
would permit them to pass through their territory than that they 
wonld those natives living between the Tanana and Knskokwim 
Rivers, who mnst always trade through intermediate men. 

That salmon do not reach the upper waters of the Tanana is rather 
singular, and cannot, I think, be alone attributable to the rapids along 
its course. The absence of salmon causes the natives to depend for 
sustenance on the smaller fishes previously enumerated, and large 
game, much of which is caught in snares. It is a custom of theirs to 
have long lines of fencing, so built of brush and poles that caribou or 
moose cannot get through it. At intervals a gap is left, in which a 
rope snare is placed. By this means a large part of their subsistence 
stores is obtained. A miner informed me that while prospecting be- 
tween the Yukon and Tanana Rivers he found a "game fence" 30 
miles long. 

The Tanana natives have more bead work and are perhaps more 
skilled in its manufacture than any people seen by us in the Terri- 
tory. 

In general appearance and manner the natives of the Lower Tanana 
strongly resemble the Unakhotanas of the Yukon, especially those 
near Nuklukyet. It is said by the traders of the Yukon that the 
natives at Fort Reliance and of NukMkyet understand each other, 
and also the Nukluktanas and Nabesnatanas, but none can understand 
the natives living in the vicinity of old Fort Yukon. This would 
seem to indicate that the Tanana River and the Yukon below the 
mouth of same were peopled from the upper waters of the Yukon, or 
else the migration was up the Tanana, thence across to Fort Reliance, 
leaving the most northerly part of the Yukon River to be peopled by 
natives from the direction of the Hudson Bay Territory. The Na- 
besnatanas both pack their dogs and use them in sleds, whilst the 
Nukluktanas, like the Yukon River natives, seldom use them other- 
wise than in sleds. These sleds are similar to those used on Copper 
River. Their dogs, however, are much larger than those of the 
country south of them, owing to the introduction of English breeds. 

These people, like all the natives of Alaska, are natural traders, as 
evidenced by the number of hands through which an article will 
pass before being rendered unfit for use. A shirt originally belong- 
ing to the Abercrornbie party was obtained at Alaganik by a Copper 
River native, who traded it to one of his fellows. This one wore it as 
far as Batzulnetas and there traded it to a native accompanying us, 
who carried it over Miles's Pass to Xandell's, and it was there again 
disposed of. In the mean time it had twice changed hands amongst 
the native members of 'our party. Had it not become worn out, it 
might have found its way to the Yukon. We saw at Tetling's house 
an ax with a Montreal brand on it, also a pair of sailor's trousers and 



RECONNAISSANCE IX ALASKA— ALLEN. 139 

a Thlinkit blanket, both, of which doubtless came from Chilcat Inlet, 
the former primarily from the man-of-war stationed at Sitka. 

Should the natives of the Tanana or Copper River commit out- 
rages upon the whites who may be making their way into the interior, 
of such a nature as to justify the intervention of the military, many 
difficulties would be encountered before redress could be obtained. 
To stop the sale of ammunition and arms would be a sad blow to them, 
but a decidedly negative retaliation. To get a force into the interior 
marching would be necessary, and could be accomplished more easily 
than the party could be subsisted after its arrival at its field of action. 
To ascend either the Copper or Tanana by steam is out of the ques- 
tion. To reach Nandell's, on the north side, or Batzulnetas, on the 
south side, by cordelling up these rivers, would be to arrive at either 
place without subsistence stores. To set out from the mouth of either 
river when there was ice, with sleds well packed, would be to come to 
grief for want of food before these headwaters were reached, if an 
attempt were made to subsist entirely on the stores started with. 
This would be especially true in the case of the Tanana. The most 
feasible method would be to ascend the Yukon as far as Fort Reliance 
by steamboat, and to pack the stores across to the Tanana on the backs 
of men and dogs. Even after that river was reached by this method 
the stores would soon be exhausted unless frequent depots were made 
along the route and additional supplies sent forward continually. If 
the objective were the lower part of the Tanana River, a steamboat 
would solve the problem of transportation. If, however, it were the 
Copper River, the portage from Fort Reliance could be continued 
across the Alaskan Range. Once on the Copper, food in the form of 
salmon would be abundant, and a severe retaliation could be inflicted 
by patroling the river, thus preventing, if possible, the natives from 
taking fish during the summer. By this .means a large number of 
them would perish the following winter. 

From extensive observation and from conversation with men who 
have traveled extensively in the Territory, I am of the opinion that- 
pack animals other than dogs or reindeer are not practicable anywhere 
in the interior save in an occasional locality, and then for a short dis- 
tance, not exceeding a few miles. That other than these would die 
during the winter, unless special provision were made, there can be 
no doubt. The footing in many places would render an ordinary 
mule pack train of as little or less value than a flotilla of small boats. 
Grass in these high latitudes has given place to a deep bed of moss 
and lichens, which it is hardly probable would subsist horses, mules, 
oroxen. Occasionally small sections of the Territory are seen where 
the growth of grass is luxuriant, yd such an occurrence is generally 
accompanied by the sight of marshes. II is a significant Pad that 
the burning of the moss givesrise to a hardy growth of grass, which 
practice may in the future be advantageously ased. 



140 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

In view of the above considerations, special care should be taken 
in selecting a force to be sent into this country. Each man should 
be chosen for his obedience, strength, endurance, and ability to live 
in a country where food is difficult to obtain ; in other words, each 
should be soldier, hunter, packer, and his own commissary. I know 
of no class of men so capable of fulfilling these conditions as mineral 
prospectors, whose occupation frequently requires the exercise of 
such accomplishments. 

Strategically considered there are no people within the boundaries 
of the United States so favorably situated as the above-mentioned 
tribes of the Tinneh family. Gifted by nature with the skill and 
cunning of their southern relations, and inhabiting a much more 
inaccessible and foodless country, depredations and other crimes 
could be committed with correspondingly greater impunity. 

NATIVES OF THE KOYUKUK RIVER. 

Notwithstanding the vast extent of country occupied by these 
people, they differ so little from each other that the term Koyukuns, 
previously used, may with propriety be applied to all of them . They 
belong to the Tinneh family, and possibly the term Koyuktana, 
or "Koyiikuk-Khotana" would, for uniformity, be more properly 
applied. 

The river on which they live possesses a moderate current, is free 
from falls or rapids, hence offers a ready and easy way for commu- 
nication ; yet I doubt whether the natives on its upper waters will 
descend it to its mouth so long as they can trade at Nuklukyet or 
meet the fur traders at Konodtena village. 

Their most northern settlement, which is in approximate latitude 
66° 44', longitude 150° 47', is on the Nohoolchintna near its mouth, 
while the most southern ■ one is near the junction of the river with 
the Yukon, more than 500 miles below. All of these people readily 
converse with the Unakhotanas at Nuklukyet and Nulato, though 
some words are entirely different from those used at the nearest 
points on the Yukon to represent the same idea. 

In appearance they differ so little, from their Yukon relations that 
a description of them seems hardly necessary. They are on record, 
according to all persons who have written of them, as being warlike 
people, due perhaps to their participation in the Nulato massacre, 
previously mentioned. Those living on the upper part of the river 
are too poverty-stricken and miserable to attempt anything that 
would not assist them in obtaining food or clothing. They report 
that a severe epidemic carried away many of their number in the 
winter of 1882-83. At the only villages above Batzakakat, viz, 
Konootena and Nohoolchmtna, are eleven men, four of whom, to- 
gether with one woman and one child, are deaf-mutes. We did not 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 141 

see all of the inhabitants of the last-named village, so it is possible 
there may be others similarly afflicted. 

The total number of Koyukuns, estimating the settlements on the 
Hussliakatna and Cawtaskakat as containing fourteen and ten, re- 
spectively, is 276. This is a more accurate census than can usually 
be made of the natives. Besides these there was an Innuit family 
of five living temporarily on the river. To show how the Koyukuk 
is populated, I cite the following : Between Red Shirt's village and 
the extreme northern settlement, a distance by the river of 363 miles, 
were thirteen settlements, temporary and permanent, with inhabit- 
ants numbering 161 ; between Red Shirt's village and the mouth of 
the river were five settlements, containing 65 souls ; while at his 
village alone were 45. Of this population it is noticed that 66 are 
men, 79 women, and 129 children, a fact that shows that the division 
as to sex is very different from that usually found among uncivilized 
people who struggle so hard for existence. 

The principal subsistence of these people is fish, which includes 
several varieties besides the salmons, chief among which in point of 
numbers is the clog salmon. They bemoan most bitterly the scarcity 
of game, and at several settlements they endeavored to purchase a 
young caribou skin, part of my bed, to use in making winter clothing. 
The existence of a people living under such adverse circumstances 
as do those of the upper part of the river cannot be of long duration. 
Before the 12th of August they had had a warning of winter in the 
form of a snow squall. 

Many of the Koyukuns are armed with old-fashioned rim-fire Win- 
chester magazine rifles, caliber . 44, which have been obtained, through 
the Eskimos, from whaling vessels. While possessing this gun, it is 
seldom that it can be utilized for want of cartridges. Besides these 
they have shot-guns, usually the single-barrel muzzle-loader, and 
bows and arrows. 

They make portages over the mountains to the north from Fickett, 
Allenkakat, and Dakliakakat Rivers, presumably to the Colville and 
Kowuk, or Holootana River, as the Koyukuns call it. They also 
portage to the Tozikakat and descend it to the Yukon, or else use the 
trail we followed from the Yukon. Those lower down pass to the 
headwaters of the Kotzebue Sound, where they exchange commodi- 
ties with the Eskimos. Natives from Red Shirt's village have occa- 
sionally gone as far as Saint Michael's to trade. Now that Nulato is 
abandoned, such journeys will be almost a necessity if they desire to 
trade during the winter season. 

What may be said with respect to the education of the Yukon 
na1 Lves will equally apply to these. 

I know of no place in the possession of the United States where 
charity could with more justice be dispensed than among these 
people and those of the Lower Yukon. If the Government desires 



142 RECONNAISSENCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

that this people should continue to exist, some provision for them 
should soon be made. Fish food is sufficiently abundant to support 
them, but the prospects of obtaining clothing material are rapidly 
growing darker. It is a mistaken idea, that of supposing the interior 
of Alaska possessed of much large game. To show the scarcity of 
such, I will say that during our entire travel from latitude 00° 20' to 
50 miles within the Arctic Circle, thence to Saint Michael's, over a 
route covering 18° of longitude, we did not see a single moose or car- 
ibou, and but one bear, a small black one. During the greater part 
of the winter of 1884-85 Messrs. Mayo and La Due, who wintered at 
Fort Reliance, had rabbits only for meat, notwithstanding repeated 
efforts were made by themselves and their Indian hunters to obtain 
large game. 

THE NATIVES OF THE YUKON. 

The natives of the Yukon River, from the mouth of the Tanana to 
the sea, have been described by Dall and others, and the term " Inga- 
lik " has been applied to those living between Nulato and that part 
of the country occupied by the Innuits, or Eskimos. This word is 
of Eskimo origin, and was originally used by them to represent all 
the inland people. The name given by the Ingaliks to themselves, 
however, is Kaiyu-Khotana, which means people of the lowlands 
(Dall). Their appearance shows them to be the Tinneh family, niodi- 
/fied by a liberal infusion of Eskimo blood. 

Their continued intercourse with Russians and whites for fifty 
years has had its effect in altering their customs, though it is not 
evident that the association has been beneficial to them. With the 
introduction of fire-arms was begun an extermination of the once 
numerous herds of caribou, which supplied clothing and a liberal part 
of their food. The scarcity of these animals now causes a greater 
dependence on the traders for clothing and at the same time deprives 
them of a possible source of revenue from the sale of its meat and 
sinew. They must now depend almost solely on fish and berries to 
continue their existence as a people. 

Beginning at Nuklukyet and descending the Yukon, the increase 
of poverty and squalor is very noticeable. A marked loss of self- 
respect is also apparent. Their poverty-stricken, humiliated condi- 
tion is taken advantage of by the traders, who demand from them 
much greater prices for the usual commodities than are obtained 
from the bolder and more independent natives who assemble at the 
trading stations farther up the river. Had these people a sale for 
the thousands of excellent salmon that yearly ascend their rivers 
their future would not be so dark as it now necessarily is. Between 
Nuklukyet and Yakutskalitnik I saw many natives who barely had 
sufficient material to hide their nakedness, and furthermore their 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEX. 143 

prospects of obtaining winter clothing were indeed meager. The 
destruction of the large game has been very rapid, and whether or 
not these natives will survive the resulting destitution without 
governmental interposition is doubtful. 

The Ingaliks constitute the most numerous tribe of the Tinneh 
family in the Territory of Alaska, and may be estimated to number 
1,300. 

I have used D all's designation for the natives living between the 
mouth of the Tanana and Nulato, Mnakho-tana, which includes the 
inhabitants of the two last-named places. They number about 550 
souls. The blending of these natives with the Ingaliks is so uniform 
that no exact line can be drawn separating the two. Both are called 
by themselves Yukoni-khotanas, which means people of the Yukon 
River country. 

Neither these nor the In'galiks are governed by the tyone system. 
A stronger influence is probably exerted by the shamans, who include 
in their numbers both sexes. It will require a long time to eradicate 
the much-abused faith imposed in them by their parishioners. Mi- 
nook, a sensible Indian, who speaks English, was, to judge from his 
conversation, much opposed to shamanism. His child at ISTuklukyet 
having become seriously ill with " summer complaint, " he applied 
to me for medicine, which I gave. Unwilling to await results, and 
probably having become convinced that the child was too sick for 
white man's medicine, the shaman was called about midnight to be- 
gin his incantations. These were continued every few nights until 
the child died. The shaman in attendance was a smart, fine-looking 
young man, reputed to possess great powers. I give below his method, 
which, though homeopathic as far as relates to the child, was decid- 
edly allopathic as to himself. A piece of canvas was spread on the 
ground, around which all the natives at the village sat singing an 
intermittent, spirited chant or dirge. On the canvas was the shaman, 
covered with a blanket, with which several Indians were trying to 
conceal and keep him on the canvas, while he was groaning, yelling, 
and indulging in all sorts of contortions, all the while keeping time 
with his noises and kicks to the spasmodic singing of the surround- 
ing group. At one corner of the canvas Minook, with his child in 
his arms, was sitting. After writhing and groaning under the 
blanket for an hour or more, the shaman thrust his feet into Minook's 
lap. under the wraps of the child. He lay in that position for some 
time, when he broke away witli the disease of the child in his pos- 
sesion. Then began a terrible struggle with the disease in order t<> 
drive it back into the keeping of the evil spirit. During this contest 
he tore his shirt from his body, floundered to the top of the blanket, 
and seemed to suffer the mosl excruciating pains. At the end of 
about two hours, when his exertions had become less violent, one of 
the natives seized him. drew hi ; bead into bis lap. blew into one ear, 



144 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

then into the other, and then pressed hard on the top of his head. 
The shaman remained in a stupor until a second Indian jumped up 
and gave him another pressure on the head, which completed the 
process of resuscitation and enabled him to immediately arise and 
join in the general conversation. At another time he made a medi- 
cine while under the blanket and fastened it around the child's neck, 
before coming from under his cover. 

The result of the teachings and example of Mr. Simms, a deceased 
missionary of the Church of England, is plainly noticeable, and as 
valuable to the traders as to the natives, all of whom express a warm 
feeling for his memory. There are now, besides the hundreds of 
Indian children along the Lower Yukon, the Lower Kuskokwim, 
and the coast north and south of Saint Michael's, twelve or fifteen 
half-breed children of traders living at present on the Yukon, who 
are very desirous that their offspring should be educated, and who 
affirm that the Indian parents in a large measure wish the same ad- 
vantages for theirs. The only place of instruction available is the 
Mission, 217 miles from the coast, where the preceptor is a half- 
breed Russian priest, incapable of teaching English. 

The question of an industrial education, the system of instruction 
now supposed to be best for Indian children, for the Yukon River 
natives, is certainly a subject for consideration. The question natu- 
rally suggests itself, what industry can be taught children living in 
such an inhospitable climate as theirs, where winter begins the first < 
1 of September and ends the middle of May, when the ice goes out of 
the river? The primary object of the education should be to teach 
them more feasible methods of living. If it be proved that their 
country is capable of producing the hardy vegetables and grain, or 
that it is rich in mineral resources, then their education will find 
fields for its application. If, however, it continue in the future what 
it has been to them in the past, valuable only for its fish and game, 
instruction of any kind would be of doubtful value. For now, after 
generations of experience, do they not better understand securing 
their fish and animal food than white men can teach them? Of the 
former they obtain all they desire, while of the latter they secure 
yearly all that can be and more than should be taken. Their houses 
are quite in keeping with their mode of living, and good enough for 
their present surroundings ; why change them ? Without the further 
development of their country, or financial assistance, I cannot see 
that the benefits of an industrial education would in any manner be 
for their welfare. The education of the natives in Southern Alaska, 
whereby they are better prepared for several industries which are 
established in or near their homes, is quite a different affair. In 
their own country there is at present no employment open to the 
Yukon natives and their neighbors save the securing of food and 
the trapping of a few fur-bearing animals. The policy of educating 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN; 145 

them and sending them to another part of olir country for employ- 
ment would he an extremely questionable one, as would he that of 
educating them elsewhere and sending them hack to their people, 
With plenty of food and warm clothes there is no reason why these 
people, who have for generations inhabited the Yukon, should not 
continue to so do; but with food consisting of fish only, and a 
scarcity of clothing material brought about by an improvident de- 
struction of large game, their existence from a sociological point of 
riew is not long. 

If tribes of Indians living in the West and Southwest of the United 
States, where the climate is genial as compared to that of the interior 
of Alaska, and where food products are comparatively easily ob- 
tainable, receive, as a matter of right or policy, support from the 
Government in part or whole, certainly these people, nearly destitute 
of clothing, should at least have assistance in that direction. 

That their moral and spiritual welfare could be much improved 
by schools, and that their ideas respecting sanitary laws could be 
vantageously modified, is not to be questioned; yet by all means let 
such changes be accompanied with presents of wearing apparel. 
The traders informed me that there has already been much suffering 
during the winters from want of proper clothing. 

The entire number of souls on the Yukon above Nuklukyet is 
estimated at five to six hundred; but these have as yet not seriously 
suffered for want of skins for clothing material. In general appear- 
ance they resemble the Nabesnatanas. 

ESKIMOS, OR JNNUITS. 

It is not within the scope of this report to enter into a description 
of the customs and manner of living of the Eskimos of Alaska, for 
the reason that more or less has been written about them from the 
time of the discovery of Stewart Island, on which Saint Michael's is 
situated, until the present time. For their description, numbers, and 
location I would refer the reader to the report of Mr. Ivan Petroff , 
special agent of the census, which is as reliable as any publication 
on the subject. I will say, however, that any attempt at an accurate 
census would require more time than was allotted to Mr. Petroff. 

Captain Healy, commanding the Convin, whose observations in 
Northern Alaska have extended over a period of fifteen years, esti- 
mates the number of Eskimos from Saint Michael's along the coast to 
Point Barrow at 3,000, and the number in the interior between these 
t w ( > points at 2,000. The number between Saint Michael's and Cook's 
Inlet, including the interior, according to Mr. Petroff, is about 9,800. 

The same general characteristics may be seen among all the Alas- 
kan Eskimos. A single glance at the accompanying photograph is 
S. Ex. 125 10 



146 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

sufficient to at once distinguish the subjects of it from the Indians of 
the interior. 

The picture fairly represents the type. The central figure is that 
of a native employed by us on the Koyukuk, and who served as our 
pilot from the village at the mouth of that river to Saint Michael's. In 
general they live near the coast, where food is more easily obtainable, 
though in the interior a few were met on the Upper Koyukuk at 
probably the greatest distance from salt water that they are ever 
found. The few natives that people the Upper Kowuk and Nowatak 
are the same family. 

Besides the foregoing, the principal natives are the Aleuts, who live 
on the Aleutian Islands, and the Koldshes, or Thlinkets, who occupy 
Southeastern Alaska from near the mouth of Copper River to the 
southernmost limit of the Territory. 



PAET V. 



OBSERVATIONS 



SOME OF THE ANIMALS OF ALASKA. 

GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 

VOLCANIC ACTION. 

GLACIAL AND DILUVIAL DEPOSITS. 

MINERALS. 



147 



SOME OP THE ANIMALS OF ALASKA. 



In mentioning the animals of Alaska I will begin with, those used 
by the natives for food. While we did not see all of the forms named 
in the following brief descriptions in their wild states, their pelts 
or flesh, sometimes both, were at some time of the journey found 
either in the possession of the natives or the traders of the Yukon, 
and carefully examined. To the latter practically all the furs of 
the Yukon shed are carried and through them transferred to Saint 
Michael's, whence they are transported to San Francisco. 

Of the ruminants I mention first the Cervidse family, in which the 
moose, Alces machlis, is given precedence on account of its impor- 
tance as a food and clothing producing animal. It is almost iden- 
tical with that found in Northern Maine and formerly in Northern 
Minnesota, and is the animal which the natives largely depend upon 
for fat in certain parts of the Territory. It is claimed that they seek 
the islands of the rivers to bring forth the young, where they have 
greater immunity from wolves and mosquitoes than is offered on the 
hills and mountains. If this be true, it is to me but another proof 
of the scarcity of the animal in the Territory, for our courses along 
the rivers were necessarily among the islands, on which we frequently 
landed, to find nothing more than an occasional track. The natives, 
like most hunters, value the nose as the choicest j)art of the moose, 
and I doubt if any one who has tried it will question their taste. 

Three forms of the Rangifer tarandus are supposed to be known 
to the Territory — the barren-ground caribou, the woodland caribou, 
and the reindeer — the former being confined to Northern Alaska. 
The two latter-named species, if both exist, south of the Yukon, arc, 
to the best of my knowledge, called by the natives by the same name, 
honnai. The average lionnai when dressed will weigh from 200 to 
250 pounds. Its horns seem to partake both of the nature of those 
of common deer and of the moose, the ends of sonic branches being 
(flattened, while others are rounded. None of these animals are 
spotted, as are the reindeer of the Asiatic side, but all become very 
light in color during the winter. On the Copper and Tanana" Rivers 
these animals, as well as the moose, are hunted when ihe snow is 
deep and hard, with the aid of dogs, when they are brought fco bay 
and killed at shorl distances. A native has, Indeed, been known b< 
run down a moose and kill him with a knife, hut this is rare. They 

149 



150 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

are also snared, as previously described. There is a species of deer, 
quite numerous, inhabiting Southern Alaska and the Archipelago, 
but it does not find its way far into the interior. It is probably the 
Cariacus columbianus, or Columbia black-tailed deer, somewhat 
changed by the condition of his surroundings. These constitute a 
large portion of the meat ration of Sitka and Juneau. I have the 
skin of one of these animals now in my possession, which is about 
the same shade of blue as the fur seal, though this color is not the 
rule. 

Of the Bovidse family there are two recognized species, the Ma- 
zama montana, or the small-horned goat of the Rocky Mountains, 
white in color. This animal has black horns, with little curvature, 
and is found on the Copper River and the Upper Yukon. The Ovis 
montana dalli is a new geographical race of the mountain sheep or 
big-horn. It has been described as follows by Mr. E. W. Nelson, 
formerly of the United States Signal Corps: 

This form, can be recognized at once by the nearly uniform dirty- white color, the 
light-colored rump, as seen in typical Montana, being entirely uniform with the rest 
of the body in Dalli. The dinginess of the white over the entire body and limbs 
appears to be almost entirely due to the ends of the hairs being commonly tipped 
with a dull rusty speck. On close examination this tipping of the hairs makes the 
fur look as though it had been slightly singed. This form also has smaller horns 
than its southern relatives, but how the two compare in general size and weight I 
am unable to say. I name this form in honor of Mr. W. H. Dall, whose scientific 
work in Alaska is so well known. 

Whether the big-horn mountain sheep, Ovis canadensis, exists in 
Alaska I am unable to say, but I desire to add also a new geograph- 
ical race of the same. The animal in question is called by the 
natives tebdy, and this name I leave unchanged until a specimen 
will have been carried out of the Territory. We killed several of 
these animals, one of which, a ram, had horns 20 inches long and 
nearly straight. Their structure was similar to that of the big-horn, 
but the curvature was very slight. This ram was killed on a very 
high point, such a place as is usually sought by them, and in its fall 
was sadly mangled. The head of the tebdy is much like that of a 
Southdown sheep, the muzzle much less pointed than in Nelson's big- 
horn. The hair is of a uniform white, in fact, nearly equal to his 
snow surroundings in color, and is nearly as easily broken as that of 
the antelope. Next to the skin is a very fine short wool, which is 
very strong. In size the tebdy is probably an equal of its relative, 
the big-horn. I saw a spoon made from the horn of one that meas- 
ured 26 inches in length and 5 inches across the bowl. We were in- 
formed that some had much larger horns than the one that furnished 
material for this spoon. This, like most statements of natives, is 
questionable. The large ram and one other were killed on the most 
northerly tributary of the Chittystone River. The natives informed 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 151 

us that small tebdy could be killed a few miles below the junction 
of the Chittystone, a fact we doubted, and hence chose to allow them 
the use of our carbines. They passed the night on the mountains 
north of the Chittyna River, and returned with four small ones that 
would weigh when dressed probably 65 pounds. The heads were 
left on the mountains, but the bodies brought in seemed identical 
with those obtained on the Chittystone River. Why only small 
ones should be found at this place in the latter part of April I cannot 
say; yet the mountains here were not so high as farther to the east, 
where the large ones had been killed. The last of these animals 
seen or heard of by us were near the headwaters of Copper River, 
on the divide between it and the Tanana River. 

As a food-producing animal in the interior of the Territory, the 
rabbit takes rank next. Had there been none of these our prospects 
would have been more gloomy than can well be described. For days 
and weeks almost our sole dependence was on these little animals, 
and during a season when they did not possess a particle of fat. 
They are probably the northern varying hare, possibly a little differ- 
ent from those found in New England. In size they are probably 
intermediate between the "rabbit" of the Middle States and the 
"jack rabbit" of the plains of Northern United States. The ears 
are very long and the tips of them is the only portion of the animal 
that is not covered with snow-white fur during the winter. During 
the deep snow period their only food is from the trees, many of which 
are barked all around near the ground by them. During this period 
groves of small cottonwoods or birches are favorite resorts for them 
and can be relied on to furnish a meal, providing the hunter is skilled 
in quietly passing through timber. The polar hare, Lepus timidus, 
is much larger than the "jack rabbit" of the plains, and is gener- 
ally confined to the far north of the Territory. The pelts of both 
these varieties of hares are largely used for clothing and blankets. 

The beaver is quite universally distributed throughout the Terri- 
tory, and is valuable as a food as well as for its pelt. Its habits are 
not unlike those practiced by the same animal farther south. 

The Felicidse or cat family claims the Canada lynx as probably 
the only variety inhabiting Alaska. This is the animal known in 
Montana as the "bob-tail cat," much larger, however, and while 
prized for its fur is also valued for its meat, which is by no means 
unpalatable, as many would suppose. 

In the Canidae family there are four varieties of foxes and tw< ► oi 
wolves. The former are the arctic, red, cross, and silver or black 
foxes, valued for the pelts in the inverse order of the naming. The 
arctic fox, Vulpes lagopns, found specially in the most northern dis- 
tricts, is white in winter and of a bluish tint in summer. I have 
never heard of them south of the Alaskan Mountains. The other 
varieties are more 'generally distributed, though the trading station 



152 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

at Fort Reliance receives annually about 75 pelts of black or silver 
foxes, Fulvus argentatus variety, which is more than all the other 
stations of the Yukon obtain. The wolves are the gray and the black, 
both large and quite scarce. Their pelts are specially valued by the 
natives for trimming other furs, and, like the wolverine skins, are 
in such demand that but few leave the Territory, the natives being 
willing to give a greater equivalent in other furs than would justify 
their shipment by the traders. 

The bear family is represented by three varieties in the interior, 
the black, the brown, and the grizzly, besides the white bear of the 
coast and northern islands. There were several hunting parties 
landed from the Corwin on Hall's Island, north of the Aleutian 
group, on her return, and on one of the hunts Mr. Townsend, of the 
Smithsonian, killed one of the last-named animals. The black bear 
is most frequently met, though thee xperience of others as well as 
ourselves is that it is possible to see but few of any description. 

Of the weazel family I mention first the North American otter, 
valuable only for its fur, and generally known as the land-otter. The 
wolverine, about equal in value to the land-otter, is a rather rare 
animal, possessing a long, coarse fur, more highly appreciated by the 
natives than by more civilized people. The common mink is the most 
numerous of the fur-bearing animals of the interior, and more abun- 
dant on the lower Yukon than elsewhere. Next to it in numbers is 
the American marten, or sable, considered the unit of exchange in 
/the dealings between the traders and the natives, and for which one 
dollar in merchandise, at Alaska prices, is given. 

I should not fail to mention the musk-rat, a variety of the mouse 
family, which more than once helped serve us as a meal. In size 
they are about one-half that of the same animal of the Middle States. 
Their skins are much used for blankets and parkies. 

Of the squirrel family but two varieties were seen, the little mar- 
mot, Arctomys priunosus, which forms such an important factor in 
clothing the natives, and a very small gray squirrel of a reddish 
tinge, generally found in spruce timber. 

The porcupine has been previously mentioned. 

For description of the sea animals the reader is referred to a report 
on the seal fisheries by Mr. H. W. Elliott, of the Smithsonian. 
The subject of fisheries has not been touched in this report, though 
a great deal could be said in reference to it, notwithstanding what 
has already been written. There is practically no limit to the quan- 
tity of salmon that can be taken in the limits of the Territory, includ- 
ing the coast waters and the rivers. At present the extreme low 
prices are discouraging to the establishments already in operation. 
Salmon in the San Francisco market is worth little more than one- 
third the amount paid for them a few years since. The increase in 
the cod fisheries has been indeed wonderful, and this notwithstand- 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 153 

ing little or no efforts have been made to survey the cod banks. 
This industry maybe said to have had its origin in 1880, since which 
time the statistics are quite interesting. The manufacture of oil 
from herring by the Northwest Fur and Trading Company is an in- 
dustry of considerable proportions, and capable of much greater de- 
velopments should the markets demand. I have previously reported 
to the Government on this establishment. When the Western 
country will have become as thickly populated as the most populous 
States the fish of Alaska will be of untold value in supporting its 
inhabitants. 



GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



VOLCANIC ACTION. 

If we inquire when those mighty masses of bold and picturesque 
rock, covering hundreds of square miles, were upheaved, we must look 
for answer to the same causes that are the foundations of the theories 
respecting the ranges in the western part of the United States. It is 
reasonably supposed that the Rocky Mountain Range in early geologi- 
cal history constituted the land of the western part of our country, 
and that the face of the earth to its west, now represented by mount- 
ain ranges and valleys, was then water. 

During the Paleozoic and a great portion of the Mesozoic eras this 
huge chain was subjected to erosions, resulting in deposits which were 
upheaved in the rudimentary Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges, fol- 
lowed much later by the upheaval of the Coast Range. Volcanic 
action and erosion have served to present them as we see them to-day. 
If this theory be true, it is possible that the same conditions were coex- 
istent in Alaska, as the ranges now help to attest. The Rocky Mount- 
ains extend to the Arctic Ocean by following a course nearly parallel 
with that portion of the Yukon River between old Fort Selkirk and 
Fort Yukon, while to the south of the Yukon are the Alaskan Range, 
which attains its loftiest elevations in the sickle of Copper River, and 
the Saint Elias Range, extending around Prince William's Sound to 
beyond Cook's Inlet, its northerly limit being the Chittyna River. 
Both these ranges now have active volcanoes, as did the Cascade and 
Coast Ranges very recently. In fact, it has been claimed by some 
who have visited Mount Hood that sulphurous gases are yet escaping 
from near its summit, while Mount Saint Helen's has been described 
by more than one eye-witness as an active volcano. 

Notwithstanding the appearance of a new volcano, Bogoslov, in 
1883, just north of Oonalaska Island, it is supposed that volcanic action 
is less than existed in the Territory during its earliest occupation. 
This supposition is a doubtful one, owing to the fact that the record, i 
relative to the matter date back only to the latter part of the seven- 
teenth century. More than fifty peaks are known to have at times 
been seen in action, and some of these that are now quiet may again 
bee* )ine active from the old craters, as our limited records have shown, 
or else may form new cones, as in the case of Bogoslov, about which 
several persons have recently written During our visit to that vol- 

155 



156 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

cano it was emitting vapors and sulphurous gases in such quantities as 
to nearly conceal its upper portion. A few hundred yards distant was 
the old Bogoslov, quietly resting, as though satisfied with her offspring. 
Mount Wrangell, elevation 17,500 feet, was, during our stay in the 
Copper Kiver Valley, continually sending up alight vapor, apparently 
uniform in volume, while during a great portion of the winter of 
1884-85 it was, according to the only eye-witness other than natives, 
John Bremner, emitting grand volumes of smoke and fire, such as to 
present a weird and sublime picture. He claims that the fire shot 
above the crater a distance that appeared three times greater than the 
height of the mountain. Whether all the prominent peaks in this 
vicinity possess extinct craters could not be determined, though 
Mount Drum readily showed that it was an extinct volcano. 

South of the Tanana River and north of the Kuskokwim is an 
extension of the Alaskan Range containing some peaks several 
thousand feet higher than exist where we crossed the range; yet no 
volcanic action exists. 

North of the Yukon to the Arctic the ranges are comparatively 
low;- the highest are Endicott Mountains, between the Koyukuk and 
Kowuk Rivers, which doubtless contain the headwaters of the Col- 
ville River. I am disposed to think that no volcanic activity has 
ever been witnessed in Alaska in a higher latitude than is Mount 
Wrangell (approximately 62° 25' N.), notwithstanding the reports 
relative to the peaks south of the Tanana, previously alluded to. 

GLACIAL AND DILUVIAL DEPOSITS. 

Diluvium is found everywhere, and the Territory of Alaska is a 
striking picture of that deposited by ice rivers or glaciers as well as 
mountain torrents. The existence of rolled pebbles and bowlders, 
sometimes in huge quantities in the high banks of streams, some- 
times on the tops and declivities of mountains as well as in the 
valleys between, their entire dissimilarity from the rocks of the 
country in which they lie, are geological characteristics specially 
noticeable in the Copper River shed. 

In the study of the action of water in its relation to geological 
changes American students have always found an ample field at home. 
Not so, however, with respect to glacial actions, for we find our most 
exhaustive treatise on this subject confined almost exclusively to the 
Alps glaciers. Let our specialists in the future seek fields in our 
own province, where the system is probably more extensive than in 
any other country south of the Arctic Circle. I refer to that portion 
of the Territory from Chilcat Inlet up to Cook's Inlet, and especially 
to that portion drained by the Copper River. 

How far glacial action has been concerned in^the determination of 
the topography will long be a subject for study. My observations 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 157 

are such as to cause a belief in an ice sheet that at one time extended 
from the Alaskan Mountains to the coast (as to how much farther 
from the north it came I have nothing to say). It may at first be con- 
sidered at variance with the theory of contemporary upheaval of this 
part of the Territory with the ranges of the western part of the United 
States; an examination, however, of the true condition of affairs will 
reconcile this. Long' after the upheaval followed the glacial peri< >d, 
producing the ice-sea, which by its steady motion to the south has 
largely assisted in giving the country its present configuration. 

From Yakutat Bay to the mouth of Copper River is an unbroken 
face of ice for a distance of 50 miles. How far this extends to the 
interior through the gorges of the coast range is unknown, though 
it may be safe to consider the distance equal to that of the glaciers 
of Copper River from its mouth. These latter may be considered an 
extension of the ice fronting the coast, which the Copper River for- 
merly flowed under. There is every reason to believe that Miles's and 
Childs' Glaciers at one time were one and the same, an opinion that 
is in some way strengthened by the tradition of the natives. The most 
southerly point of the former on the left bank is 1 mile or less from 
the most northerly point of the latter on the right bank, while in the 
river-bed between are well-worn bowlders, 8 to 12 feet in diameter, 
and on the left bank, below Miles's Glacier and opposite Childs' 
Glacier, is an enormous glacial drift, now covered with vegetation. 
Where it joins to Miles's it is impossible to distinguish the drift from 
the glacier. The flow of these is now doubtless from east to west 
for those on the left bank, and from west to east for those on the 
right bank; yet this is probably not the general course the ice masses 
had when they were much larger than at present. They are but a 
residuum of the once extensive ice fields now discharging along the 
paths of least resistance. Had not the climate here been moist and 
favorable for glacier-making, the present site would have been 
occupied by only drift or moraine, as is the case farther north, above 
the Chittyna, on the east bank of the Copper River, where for many 
miles are terraces, large and small, the deposits of ancient glaciers. 
The smaller ones are so regularly formed as to leave the impression 
that they were the fronts of old fortifications. In Blake's Stickeen 
River he makes mention of the scarcity of well-defined terraces, 
while Dall failed to observe any in the vicinity of Sitka and the 
Alaska Peninsula. The source of both the Copper and Chill yn.i 
Rivers are glaciers, though indeed small when compared to the ones 
above mentioned. 

I can only account for the remarkable width of the bed of the Cop- 
per by the supposition that it was excavated by the power of gigantic 
ice masses and the eroding effects of the torrenl waters from it. The 
volume of water in proportion to the widt li of bed is less 1 ban in any 
river within my knowledge, while the banks, as a rule, are steep and 



158 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

high. By an examination of the map it will be seen that the Alas- 
kan Mountains form an arc convex to the northward ; hence the lines 
of least resistance of ice masses in moving from these mountains to 
the southward tended to intersect in the present Copper Valley. 
The power obtained by the enormous now from all sides produced 
the remarkable excavations cited above. 

I earnestly hope that glacial action in this- district will receive 
early attention at the hands of competent men. A simple inspection 
of the map of Alaska by a student of nature will show that this spot 
was the scene of most powerful action, the traces of which are cor- 
respondingly clearly preserved. 

North of the Alaskan Mountains I failed to see any of these re- 
markable glacial phenomena, though from reports of miners they 
may be found on the White River. 

MINERALS. 

The minerals of Copper River have long been a source of specula- 
tion, owing to pieces of pure copper, knives and bullets of the same 
metal, having been brought down to the coast by the natives. Some 
of the specimens are supposed to be associated with native silver, 
and in fact I had heard of some brought down which was reported 
to have assayed in Boston $80 per ton in silver and 60 per cent, of 
copper. Nicolai' s house is supposed to be in the heart of the mineral 
region, and by him we were shown the locality of a vein which at 
that season of the year, April, was above the snow line. He gave 
us, however, some specimens which proved to be bornite, a sulphuret 
of copper and iron. He said the pure copper was on the Chittyto 
River, between his house and the central branch of the Chittyna, as 
well as on the other tributaries of the same. He had bullets of pure 
copper in his possession, obtained, he said, from the natives over the 
mountains, though his supply consisted of three or four. We found 
specimens of bornite also in the hands of the natives at Nandell's, 
just north of the range. I do not believe that the natives guard as 
a secret treasure the copper or other mineral beds, but think that 
they would willingly reveal to the white man their knowledge in the 
matter. 

The two prospectors of my party found with difficulty color at the 
mouth of Copper River, but were not at all pleased with the pros- 
pects farther up. 

In ascending the Copper River it was observed that the banks, 
especially the east one, about 20 miles below Taral, were a green horn- 
blendic rock, intersected by small mineral-bearing quartz veins. 
These gave way to a green basalt near the southern extremity of 
Wood's Canon, which had at its northern end a fine quality of 
slate that split easily into laminae transversely to its bed. Parts of 
the bluff showed more than one distinct cleavage. 



RECONNAISSANCE IX ALASKA— ALLEX. 159 

A few miles from, the month of the Chittyna it cuts through bluffs 
of beautiful greenstone, intersected by white veins, which appeared 
to be limestone. The pebbles and bowlders of this river-bed are 
much discolored by copper stains, but not to such a remarkable 
degree as those of its tributary, the Chittystone. The mountains 
around the headwaters of the latter are sandstone and felspathic 
granite. 

A feature of some of the high banks of the Upper Copper are the 
strata of bowlders, many feet below the surface, and separated by a 
distance of 6 to 8 feet. These banks are specially remembered on 
account of an incident occurring at the foot of one which disabled 
one of my native employes. As the frost leaves the face of the 
banks the pebbles and bowlders become loose and start down the 
steep bank to the river. To pass them without injury it is neces- 
sary to be a skillful dodger. A very strong native was struck in 
the head by one, which sent him to the ground with a profusion of 
blood from the nose, disabling him for further work. 

On the east bank of the Copjjer, about 8 miles above Gakona 
River, is a deposit of fragmentary porphyritic rock 8 feet below the 
surface and 50 feet above the water line. On the Alaskan Mount- 
ains, not far from Lake Suslota, is a bed of pebbles and bowlders 
immediately under the vegetation. 

The banks of the Upper TanaM, where there is rock, are gen- 
erally composed of a yellowish granite, fast undergoing disintegra- 
tion, as evidenced by the innumerable particles of mica suspended 
in the river and the ever-shifting quicksands. On the lower river 
the rocky banks are more basaltic in appearance. There has been 
little or no attempt at prospecting on this river. Our party tried 
for color a number of times without success. 

There have been, within the last few years, a number of miners 
on the Upper Yukon and its tributaries, in search of gold. So far 
their success lias been but partial; the best result that has come 
within my knowledge was an equivalent of 81,100 in gold and pla- 
tinum, taken from a bar in the river by two men in one season. 
Gold-bearing quartz of a very low grade has been found in a few 
places, but its value would hardly justify the working of it. 

On the northern bank of the Koyukuk are indications of coal- 
beds, as shown on the map. The geological formation of t lie country 
drained by this river is in appearance very similar to that of the 
Yukon from Yakutskalitnik up, so that what may be written with 
respect to the geology of the Yukon will in a large measure apply 
to it. 

There are two mines in Alaska that promise well. viz. 1 he galena 
mines near Golovma Bay. Norton Sound, and the gold-quartz mines 
of Douglas Island. In a recent report to the commanding general, 
Department of Columbia. I stated that if the cosl of working the 



160 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

latter mine were twice that claimed, and the return of metal one- 
half the amount claimed, the property would be a most valuable one. 

In these few brief observations I do not pretend to enumerate all 
the claims to mineral wealth of the Territory. The coal measures 
in different parts will certainly deserve consideration, and may in 
the future prove of great value. 

The various reports relative to the mineral wealth of Alaska, some 
of which appear over the names of Territorial officials, are decidedly 
sensational and unreliable. There may be, and probably is, great 
mineral wealth in the interior, but as yet its location is unknown. 
From the nature of the country and shortness of the seasons, many 
years will be required to thoroughly ascertain the localities of 
valuable mineral veins. It is not my intention to discourage immi- 
gration to the Territory, yet I would gladly warn all who contem- 
plate it to regard with suspicion many of the current articles relative 
to the mineral wealth. 






PAET VI 



METEOROLOGY. 



161 
S. Ex. 125 11 



METEOROLOGY. 



Sir : In submitting the following meteorological report I cannot but 
regret that the information which it contains is in so many respects 
incomplete. 

You always led our small party and participated equally in the 
hardships and sufferings of the expedition, sometimes dividing your 
small share of rotten fish or scraps of tallow with those who needed 
it perhaps less than you did. Hence it is not to you that I enumerate 
some of the trying circumstances under which the observations were 
taken, but to those who may look through these pages and perhaps 
wonder why so much valuable data are lacking. 

In the first place, geographical and physical, rather than meteoro- 
logical, knowledge was the object of the expedition. In the second 
place, our supplies having been necessarily abandoned at the mouth 
of Copper River in March, we were reduced to the absolute necessity 
of reaching the coast on Bering Sea or some provisioned trading-post 
on the Yukon River before winter set in, or of taking the chances of 
surviving a winter in that northern and inhospitable region without 
food, clothing, or supplies of any kind. Under these conditions 
nearly everything was sacrificed to rapid locomotion, traveling till 
exhausted, without regard to day or night, being a frequent necessity. 

The absence of observations between March 20 and April 8, the 
time occupied in traveling from Nuchek to Taral, will be accounted 
for by the fact that we were in an almost continuous storm of rain, 
sleet, or snow, accompanied by a cold, cutting wind, and were often 
wading in slush to our knees. We had no tentage, no protection from 
the raging elements except such as was furnished by our saturated 
clothing and wet blankets. Cold, hungry, and exhausted, we strug- 
gled on over that desolate and barren waste, making every exertion 
possible to get into the interior of the country and out of reach of 
the everlasting storms of the coast region. Under these conditions 
instrumental observations were utterly impossible. 

At Taral we learned that the copper deposits, from which Copper 
River is supposed to derive its name, were situated on its eastern 
tributary, the Chittyna. You decided to visit these deposits, and, as 
our time was limited, it was necessary that we make long and rapid 
marches and live on the country. Accordingly everything not abso- 
lutely needed was cached at this place, and with comparatively light 
packs on our backs we started on the march. The trip required ab< mt. 
a month, and on our return to the Copper River regular meteoro- 

163 



164 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

logical observations were begun and continued with as much uni- 
formity as was possible under existing circumstances. They were 
taken before leaving camp in the morning, generally about sunrise, 
and upon going into camp at night, from about 7 p. m. to midnight. 
During the day the instruments were rolled up in my blanket, which 
was securely bound in a compact bundle for convenient handling and 
packing. In this manner the observations were taken till our arrival 
at the first Indian village on the headwaters of the Tanana, June 10, 
1885. Here Indian cunning, stimulated by curiosity and emboldened 
by our starved and helpless condition, surpassed our watchfulness, as 
shown by the fact that the hygrometer was stolen, and the barometer 
rendered useless by the results of the earnest endeavor of the natives 
to understand the nature of its interior construction. From this time 
no instrumental observations were taken except those for latitude and 
longitude. A daily journal of general meteorological import was, 
however, kept throughout the whole expedition, a synopsis of which, 
together with tables deduced therefrom, accompanies this report. 

So much has been written about the agricultural resources of 
Alaska, both pro and con — of extravagant claims on the one hand, 
and of earnest denial on the other — that it is doubly fortunate that 
I am able to present the data from which my conclusions are drawn. 

I believe that lettuce, radishes, turnips, beans, peas, potatoes, car- 
rots, and possibly buckwheat and barley, can be raised in favored 
localities on the Middle and Upper Yukon and Tanana in sufficient 
quantities to form an important auxiliary to the fish diet of the na- 
tives, and to assist in supporting those white men whom business 
compels to reside in that portion of the Territory. In the Copper 
River Valley conditions similar to those on the Yukon do not exist. 
The amount of precipitation and the humidity of the atmosphere, 
as evidenced by the tables, show a climate for that region north of 
Taral unlike that of any other portion of the Territory, and in my 
opinion the results that could be obtained would not justify an 
attempt at agriculture. In the coast regions, sunlight, that element 
so imperatively necessary to agricultural growth and development, is 
largely wanting. Here dense fog, low stratus and nimbus clouds 
continually intercept their impenetrable masses between the sun's 
rays and those unfortunate beings whom nature has placed in these 
localities. I use the term "unfortunate beings" advisedly, for cer- 
tainly it would be hard to find a more miserable and wretched class 
of people anywhere than those we found on the coast near the mouth 
of Copper River. Nature has furnished them food in the marine 
life that fills those waters, but has left them little else to be thankful 
for. 

The climatic conditions mentioned above are caused by the natural 
features of the country. As will be seen by a glance at the maps, 
a branch of the Rocky Mountains enters the Territory from the British 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 165 

possessions about 15 miles from the coast, and takes the name of 
Alaskan Mountains. They extend WjSTW. for about 175 miles, at 
which point they are about 200 miles from the coast. Here they 
gradually turn to the SW., and after reaching the coast are con- 
tinued as the Aleutian Islands, and finally disappear in the Pacific 
Ocean after extending SW. about 600 miles. Another range of 
mountains, in which is Mount Saint Elias and some other high peaks, 
extends from where these Alaskan Mountains enter the ocean along 
the southern coast, and joins them again in the British possessions. 
The territory inclosed by these two ranges of mountains is about 
100 miles north and south, and 200 east and west. It is drained by 
the Copper River and its tributaries, the former beginning its way 
through the coast range at Wood's Canon, and emptying into the 
North Pacific Ocean. These two ranges are so high that they shut 
out nearly all the moisture from this region, both from the Pacific 
on the south, and from Bering Sea on the west. 

John Bremner, a miner, who passed the winter of 1884-'85 at Taral, 
told us that the snowfall during the winter was much less than he 
had anticipated, and even that was of an exceedingly light and dry 
character. The conditions we found during our journey verified his 
statements regarding precipitation. The rains during our travels in 
that region were very light. The habits of the natives, the fact that 
this is the only place in the Territory where salmon are cured by sun 
alone, as far as I know, and the amount of water discharged by the 
Copper River, all tend to prove that the rain king seldom invades 
this valley in force. But in the Yukon Valley different climatic con- 
ditions exist, owing to different natural features of the coast regions. 

From Bristol Bay north for 1:00 or 500 miles the coast is batjied 
by the same warm Japan current, and the same humid atmosphere 
prevails that characterizes the coast climate farther south, as is 
shown by an inspection of Table IV; but, unlike the southern re- 
gions, this moisture is not condensed on the coast, The low coast 
mountains allow it to be borne up the Yukon Valley and into the 
interior, where it is precipitated in the form of rain and snow. 
Hence the 8, 12, and even 15 feet of snowfall in the Yukon Valley, as 
contrasted with the much less depth in the Copper Valley, as stated 
by Bremner, is not to be wondered at. The same contrast in the 
summer precipitations is shown by the records appended. 

At Sitka, Nuchek, and Oonalaska, owing to the proximity of high 
mountain ranges, a large portion of the moisture of the atmosphere 
is condensed, causing those everlasting clouds, and rains with an 
annual precipitation of from 103 to 158 inches. But on the western 
coast these high mountains are replaced by others low enough to 
allow a large quantity of this moisture to pass over them into the 
interior, where it is precipitated over the territory drained by the 
Yukon and its tributaries, and finally finds its way back to the 



166 RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

coast again by the mouth of the former — that mighty river which 
for volume of water discharged is supposed to be second only to the 
great Mississippi on the American continent. 

It is a well-known scientific fact that vegetable life requires for its 
growth and development heat and moisture, and heat, too, supplied 
by the sun's rays. Now, in the Copper River Valley one of these 
elements, moisture, appears to be wanting, while in the coast regions 
the other, sunlight, is also wanting; hence my reasons for claiming 
that in neither of these regions can agricultural labors be entered 
upon with any prospects of remuneration. But in the Yukon Val- 
ley both these elements are present in sufficient quantities to appear 
to justifiy me in claiming, as I have, that certain kinds of the hardy 
vegetables may be raised there in certain localities. These claims 
are also sustained by the results of such agricultural experiments as 
have been attempted from time to time in this valley. A trader by 
the name of McQuisten told us that at Nuklukyet he had grown tur- 
nips weighing 6 pounds, also onions and potatoes of good size and 
quality. The same things have also been produced at Nulato and 
Fort Yukon, with the addition at the latter place of barley, which 
was sown and reached maturity during two successive years, the 
only ones in which it was tried. The grains were complete and well 
formed, though the straw was short. 

It might at first seem incredible that vegetables of any kind could 
be raised in these high latitudes, where the frost king of the north is 
Supposed to reign supreme; but when, during the short Arctic sum- 
mer, the giver of light and heat to this solar system ascends his throne 
over those northern regions, the frost king retires, and under the sun' s 
life-giving and invigorating rays vegetable life is stimulated to great 
activity. On the Middle and Upper Yukon the thermometer, when 
exposed to the direct rays of the sun, has been known to read 112° 
and 115° Fahr. This, together with the fact that at this season of 
year the sun is almost continuously above the horizon, will account 
for the small number of days required for some of the more hardy 
vegetables to reach maturity. The short summer season of these 
latitudes is, in consequence, more effective than the same number of 
days farther to the southward. 

The soil is generally of a sandy or clayey loam, mixed in places 
with vegetable matter and covered with a thick coating of moss. At 
a depth of 1 to 2 feet below the surface the soil usually remains 
frozen the year round. This is owing to the non-conductive nature 
of its moss covering. But the presence of ice at such a depth below 
the surface would not necessarily interfere with agricultural pur- 
suits; besides, by cultivation and proper drainage, the distance of the 
ice bed below the surface would be considerably increased. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEX. 
ABSTRACT OF JOURNAL. 



167 



State of weather. 



A.M. 



P. M. 



Wind. 



Remarks. 



Fair 

Light rain . 
Heavy rain 



Cloudy 

Heavy rain 
Light rain . 



...do.. 
...do.. 
Cloudy 



Heavy rain 

...do 

...do 



Heavy rain 

Light rain 

...do 

Fair 

Heavy rain 

Light rain 

Hy. rain and sleet 
Lt. rain and sleet . . 

...do 

Fair 

Clear 



...do 

Light rain 

Cloudy 

...do 

Lt. rain and cloudy 
Lt. rain and sleet . . , 
Hy. rain and sleet . 

...do 

Fair: cloudy 

Fan 

...do 



Fail* ; Cloudy 



Sleet and snow 

Light snow 

Clear 

....do 

Fair 

Clear 

Light snow ; fair . . . 

Fair 

Clear 

...do 

....do 

....do 

....do 

....do 

Fair 

....do 

....do 

Cloudy 

....do 

Fair; cloudy 

Light snow; fair 

Clear 

Light snow ; fair 

Light sleet; fair — 

Fair 

Light rain 

Fair 



4 Sleet and snow 



Clear 
...do 
...do 



Sleet and snow . . . 

Light snow 

Fair 

Clear 

Fair 

...do 

...do 

...do 

Clear 

...do 

Fair; cloudy 

Clear 

...do 

Fair 

Cloudy 

Fair 

Clear 

Cloudy 

...do 

Lt. rain and snow 

Fair 

...do 

Cloudy 

Fair 

...do 

Light rain 

...do 



Sleet ; fair. 



Clear 
...do 
...do 



E. 
E. 
E. 

E. 
E. 
E. 

E. 

E. 

E. 
SE. 
SE. 
SE. 
SE. 
SE. 








SE. 
SE. 



SE. 



E. 

E. 

E. 



E. 






SE. 
SE. 
SE. 
NW. 

xw. 
NE. 







sw. 

E. 
NE. 

sw. 
sw. 



Left Xuchek at 10 a. rn. 

Traveled all day. 

Started at 2.15 a. m. ; strong head wind 

and heavy sea; cold. 
Started at 2 a. in. : blowing a gale. 
Blowing a gale; remained in camp. 
Started at daylight; reached Copper 

River. 
Wind cold and cutting; some sleet. 

Do. 
Wind lighter and less cold. 
Wind light. 

Very cold and disagreeable. 
Strong wind; very cold. 
j Cold. 
P. m. quite warm. 
Traveled nearly all night. 



Reached Tar&l. 

Cold. 

Warm and pleasant. 

Cold. 
Night cold. 

Lunar halo, 2 p. m. 

Xicolai's house on Chitty stone River. 



Very little wind. 
Cold. 

Do. 
Wind light and not very cold. 

Solar halo, p. m. ; aurora during night. 
Light puffs of wind up and down river. 

Do. 
Warm and pleasant. 
Wind strong and cold. 



Reached Taral 4 p. m. ; saw blue violet in 

bloom. 
Barometer reads 29.50. 
Day warm; night cold. 
Appearance of mosquitoes; warm; 

and robins. 



168 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 



ABSTRACT OF JOURNAL WITH REDUCTIONS. 



Date. 


Hour. 


1 
a) 

I 

n 


s . 

8 a 
P 


S3 


1 

ft 

ft 


Si 

pel 


Wind. 


Weather. 


Remarks. 


1885. 




















May 8 


6a.m 


29.15 


44.5 


40.5 


34.5 


68 


E. 


Fair .... 


cum. st. 


8 


9p.m 


29.05 


49 


43 


34 


56 





...do.... 


4 cum. 


9 


5a.m 


29.10 


42 


39 


34 


73 


E. 


Lt. rain . 


Cold rain. 


9 


8.30 p.m.. 


29. 17 


51 


45 


37 


59 


E. 


Cloudy . 


8 cum. and clear. 


10 


5a.m 


29.22 


58 


52 


46 


64 


E. 


Clear . . . 




10 


10 p.m.... 


29.18 


48 


40 


26 


42 





...do.... 


3 cum. 


11 


5a.m 


29.20 


38 


31 


17 


41 





...do.... 


Cottonwood buds opening. 


11 


9 p.m 


28.80 


47 


44 


40 


77 





Fair 


7 cum. st. 


12 


5 a.m 


28.78 


43 


39 


33 


68 




Clear . . . 


Day very hot. 


12 


10 p.m.... 


28.62 


53 


46 


37 


55 





Cloudy . 


10 cir. cum. 


13 


6a.m 


28.75 


45 


40 


32 


60 





...do.... 


8cir. 


13 


9 p.m 


28.69 


48 


41 


30 


50 





Fair 


5 cum. 


14 


4 a.m 


28.69 


49 


44 


37 


63 


E. 


Lt. rain. 


Rainbow a. m. ; strong wind. 


14 


6 p.m 


28.60 


51.5 


46 


39 


62 


E. 


Cloudy . 


10 cum. st. 


15 


4 a. m 


28.63 


54 


42 


20 


26 


E. 


Fair 


4 cum. 


15 


9.30 p.m.. 


28.63 


46 


38 


23 


38 





Clear . . . 




16 


4.30 a. m.. 


28.70 


49 


40 


24 


36 





...do.... 




16 


10 p.m.... 


28.63 


48 


38 


18 


29 





...do.... 


2 cum. 


17 


6 a.m 


28.58 


45 


38 


25 


45 


E. 


Cloudy . 


10 cum. st. 


17 


8 p.m 


28.15 


45 


40 


32 


60 


E. 


...do .... 


Cold, strong wind. 


18 


5.15 a. m.. 


28.13 


46 


40 


30 


53 





...do.... 


10 st. ; cold wind. 


/ 18 


9.15 p.m.. 


28.05 


47.5 


40 


28 


48 


E. 


...do.... 


8 cum. st. 


19 


4.30 a.m.. 


28.15 


46 


40.5 


31 


56 


E. 


Fair .... 


10 st. 


19 


6p.m 


28.15 


46 


43 


39 


76 


E. 


Lt. rain. 


5 cum. 


20 


6 a.m 


28.23 


48 


43 


36 


63 





Clear . . . 


lOnim.; clouds high. 


20 


9.30 p.m.. 


28.24 


45 


39 


29 


53 





...do .... 


2 cum. 


21 


5 a.m 


' 28.25 


42 


38 


31 


65 





...do.... 




21 


9 p.m 


28.03 


46 


35 


7 


19 





...do.... 


Ice % inch thick in tin cup 
during night. 


22 


4 a.m 


28.03 


49 


40 


•24 


37 


SW. 


...do.... 


No p. m. observation. 


23 


8 p.m 


27.74 


55 


44 


26 


32 


SW. 


Cloudy . 


9 cum.; day fair; thunder, 
with little rain. 


24 


5 a.m 


27.82 


46 


41 


33 


61 


SW. 


Fair .... 


5 cum. 


24 


10 p.m.... 


27.65 


49.5 


44 


36 


60 


SW. 


Clear . . . 




25 


5 a.m 


27.70 


41.5 


39 


35 


75 


w. 


Cloudy . 


Last part of a. m. fair. 


25 


9.30 p.m.. 


27.60 


46.5 


45 


40 


79 





...do.... 


10 St.; p. m. showery, with 
thunder. 


26 


6a.m 


27.60 


44 


43 


39 


83 





...do.... 


Rained some during night. 


26 


9.30 p.m.. 


27.65 


46 


41 


33 


60 





...do.... 


10 cum. st. ; cold and showery. 


27 


6 a.m 


27.65 


43 


39.5 


34 


71 





...do... 


10 cum. st.: rained during 
night. 


27 


10p.m.... 


27.58 


43 


39 


33 


68 





..do.... 


10 st.; p. m. light rain. 


28 


5 a.m 


27.78 


43 


38.5 


31 


63 





Fair 


4 cum. 


28 


9.30 p.m.. 


27.94 


41.5 


38 


32 


70 


w. 


Cloudy . 


10 cum. st. ; day fair. 


29 


5 a.m 


27.92 


41 


37 


30 


65 


w. 


...do.... 


10 cum. st. 


29 


10 p.m.... 


27.90 


44 


38 


27 


51 





Fair 


5 cum. ; cloudy nearly all day. 


30 


6 a.m 


27.91 


46 


39 


27 


47 





...do.... 


4 cir. cum. ; night cool. 


30 


10 p.m.... 


27.88 


46 


38 


37 


35 


w. 


Cloudy . 


Temp, water 43°, 9 cum. 


31 


5 a.m 


27.88 


53 


46 


37 


55 





Clear . . . 


Began to cloud up by noon. 


31 

















Cloudy . 


Traveled till late at night. 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 

ABSTRACT OF JOURNAL WITH REDUCTIONS— Continued. 



169 



Date. 


Hour. 


© 
S 

1 

pq 


1 
8a 

I s 


3 . 

©,d 

II 


1 

is 
© 
A 


3 
>> 

la 


Wind. 


Weather. 


Remarks. 


1885. 




















June 1 

















Lt. rain. 


Light rain all of a. m. 


1 


10 p.m.... 


27.40 


46 


41 


33 


60 





Cloudy . 


8 cum. 


2 


6 a.m 


27.40 


44 


40 


34 


68 





...do.... 


10 cum. st. ; p. m. light rain. 


3 


8 p.m 


27.10 


49 


45 


40 


71 


SW. 


Lt. rain. 


10 nim. ; rain very light. 


4 


6 a.m 


27.12 


49 


41 


28 < 


44 





Cloudy . 


10 cum. st. ; strawberry blos- 
soms. 


4 


10 p.m.... 


26.84 


41 


36 


27 


57 





Clear . . . 


At the foot of Alaskan Mount- 
ains. 


5 


7a.m 


26.84 


49 


41 


28 


44 





...do.... 


Began to cloud up early in 
a.m. 


5 


10.30 p.m. 


26.53 


36 


27 


8 


30 





...do... 


Fair p.m.; flowers on mount- 
ains. 


6 


5 a.m 


26.64 


41 


34 


19 


40 





...do.... 


Clear and warm. 


6 


10 p.m.... 


26.90 


48 


39 


22 


35 





...do.... 


Do. 


7 


7 a.m 


26.90 


52 


41.5 


22 


30 





... do 


Hot day ; traveled till 11 p. m. 


8 


9 a.m 


26.50 


50 


39 


17 


27 





...do.... 


Traveled all night. 


9 


1 a.m 



































Mountains. 


10 






58 


56 


54 


87 





Clear . . . 


Warm, moist atmosphere. 









ABSTRACT OF JOURNAL. 



Date. 


State of weather. 


Remarks. 


1885. 


A.M. 


P. 31. 


Wind. 


June 11 
12 


dear 

....do 


Fair and cloudy 

Clear 







NW. 
NW. 
NW. 

W. 
NW. 

W. 

W. 

w. 
w. 

SW. 

SW. 



w. 




Atmosphere warm and humid; hygrom- 
eter stolen. 

Verv- warm; vegetation very luxuriant. 

Very warm; natives appear consump- 
tive. 

Wind strong up river durin- p. m. 

Air smoky; large fires to the west. 


13 


.do 


....do 


14 


. do 


Fair 


15 


....do 


Clear 


16 


do 


Fair 


Warm; natives appear consumptive. 
Cooler; flies numerous. 


17 




Light rain 


18 




Cloudy ; light rain . . 
Fair 


Rained quite hard at tim?s. 


19 


Fair 


Continuous daylight. 

Rain very much heavier than in Copper 

River Valley. 
Ram ended about noon. 


20 




21 


. . do 


Cloudy 


22 


Fair . 


Fair 


Wind generally up river. 
Day hot; light wind; few cu. clouds. 
Wind light; rained nearly all night. 
Day warm; mosquitoes numerous. 
Arrived at Nuklukyet. 
Hot; vegetation rank. 
Hot; horse-flies and mosquitoes very nu- 
merous. 


23 




Clear 


24 


Light rain; fair 

Cleir; fair 

Char 


Fair 


25 




26 


....do 


27 






28 


Clear 


Clear 









170 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA— ALLEN. 

ABSTRACT OF JOURNAL— Continued. 



Date. 



1885. 



June 29 
30 

July 1 
2 
3 
4 
5 



25 



27 



31 
Aug. 1 



State of weather. 



A. M. 



Clear .... . 

Fair 

....do 

Clear 

Fair 

...do 

...do 

...do 

Clear 

Fair 

Cloudy 

Fair 

Cloudy 

Clear 

Fair 

Clear , 

...do 

...do 

...do 

Fair 

Cloudy 

...do 

Light rain . , 

Clear 

Light rain . . 

...do 

Cloudy 

Fair 

...do 

Fair; hazy.. 

Foggy 

...do 

Fair 

Cloudy 

...do 

...do 

Clear 

Cloudy 

Light rain . . 
Heavy rain. 



Cloudy 
Fair . . . 



Cloudy 

Heavy rain . . 

Fair 

Heavy rain . , 

Fair 

Cloudy; fair, 
Light rain . . . 
Cloudy 



P.M. 



Fair; showery 

Fair „ 

Showery 

Clear 

Fair 

...do 

Showery 

...do 

Fair 

. .do 

Cloudy; light rain 

Fair 

...do 

...do 

...do 

Clear 

...do 

...do 

...do 

Showery , 

Cloudy 

Light rain 

Fair 

Clear and hazy 

Light rain 

...do 

Showery 

Fair 

...do 

Clear 

Foggy 

...do 

Fair 

Light rain 

Cloudy 

...do 

Clear 

Cloudy 

Heavy rain 

...do 



Cloudy 

Fair; cloudy. 



Light rain 

Heavy rain 

Cloudy 

Cloudy; showery 

Fair 

Cloudy 

...do 

Light rain 



Wind. 




W. 

w. 




w. 
w. 
w. 

E. 
W. 
W. 
W. 
W. 







w. 




w. 
w. 
w. 
w. 
w. 



w. 
w. 
w. 
w. 

w. 
w. 
w. 
sw. 
sw. 
sw. 
sw. 



E. 
E. 



sw. 

w. 
w. 



w. 
w. 
w. 
w. 





Remarks. 



Hot; moose-fl'es thick. 

Hot; wind light; generally up river. 

Very warm. 

Almost no wind. 

Few cu. clouds all day. 

Do. 
Rainbow p. m. 

A. m. calm; p.m. wind light. 
Rainbow, 10 p. m. 
Strong wind blowing up the river. 
Cooler; small amount of rain. 
Pleasant; less hot. 
Cool. 

Mosquitoes a torture. 
Very warm. 
Hot. 

Hot; wind Jight. 
Hot. 

Very hot. 
Thunder and lightning all of p. m. 

Rain began at noon; continued p. m. 



No wind all day. 
Light wind. 
Do. 

Partly cloudy; clouds cu. 

Very warm; sand-flies a great pest. 

Wind strong; cold. 

Cool; sand- fles a torture. 

Wind blowing fresh. 

Rained a little during night. 

Reached the K6yukuk River. 

Nearly clear all day; warm and pleasant. 

Vegetation becoming less rank. 

Growing colder. 

Cold and disagreeable; wind light; K6- 

yukuk River rose 4 feet in 24 hours. 
Rained some during night. 
Rather cool; traveling nearly north ; 

turned back at noon. 
Cold; wind fresh. 
Heavy rain all day. 
Cold. 

Very cold; wind strong. 
Cold; wind blowing up river strong. 
Saw a star for first time this fall. 
Wind light. 
Natives on the river preparing for winter. 



RECONNAISSANCE IX ALASKA — ALLEN. 
ABSTRACT OF JOURNAL— Continued. 



171 



Date. | State of weather. 




Remarks. 


1885. A. 31. 


P. M. 


Wind. 
W. 




Cloudy 

Fail* 


Rain light: da 3- warmest we have had 




for some time. 
Quite warm and pleasant. 




Light rain 





21 do 


Cloudy 


W. j Reached Yukon. 


•» Fair 




W. Started for coast. 






Begin the trail to Unalaklik. 






Beautiful day ; traveling on tops of 
mountains. 
W. ! Light wind; very little rain. 




Cloudy 


26 ' do 


....do 


W. j P. m. late few drops of rain. 
SE. Reached coast. 


27 Cloudy 


....do 


os do 




SE. 
SE. 
S, 


Wind fresh and cold. 


^9 do . 




Very little rain, but very cold. 

Cold: arrived at Fort Saint Michael's. 


30 ....do 


Fair 







METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY. 

Table I. 





Dates. 


BO 

- 


Number of days- 


liling di 
■tion of 
d. 




During the march. 








>~ -i -' 


Remarks. 




From— 


Tc— 


! 


Z 


■- 5 ~ z - l 

?. 1 ft 2^ 

fe .Pi | p-i 




Ntichek to Taral Mar. 20 Apr. 8 


20 


4 1 


1* J E - '. 


Rain very heavy. 

Wind generally up 
and down river. 


Taral to up Chittystone and return. Apr. 9 May 4 


26 


11 


12 


3 


7 


| E. I 
1 W. \ 


Taral to Alaskan Mountains May 5 June 4 


31 


12 


9 


10 


8 


E. 


Rain light. 


Crossing Alaskan Mountains June 5 June 9 


5 


4 


1 













Head Tanana River to Yukon River. June 10 June 26 


ir 


9 


4 


4 


5 


W. 


Rain heavy. 


At Nuklukyet, on the Yukon River . 


June 27 


July 27 


31 


10 


12 


9 


13 


W. 


Showery, with thun- 


Nuklukyet to Koyukuk River 


July 28 


Aug. 3 


7 


1 





6 


3 


I w. 1 

'1 SW. \ 


Dense fog. 


On Koyukuk River to Yukon River . 


Aug. 4 


Aug. 21 


18 





5 


13 





w. 


Rain generally 
heav\ . 


Nnla-to to Fort Saint. Michael's 


Aug. 12 


Aug. 30 


9 


1 


2 


6 1 


1 SW. 1 
j SE. 1 


Crossing Coast 

31" mains. 



Table II. — Condensed summary. 



Nuchek to Taral . 



Tardl to head of Tanana River. 



Mar. 20 Apr. B 
Apr. 9 June 9 



■,'<• 



82 



Head of Tanana River to Fort June 10 Aug. 30 82 
Saint Michael's. 



a? 






21 21 



I SE. t 



E. 
W. 

\V. 



( ' &st region: rain 
heavy 

Copper li. region; 
rain very li^riit : at- 
mosphere dry. 

Yukon K. region; 
rains: mostl] lia/y. 



172 



RECONNAISSANCE IN ALASKA — ALLEN. 



Table III. — Percentage of the number of days on which precipitation fell in the 
different regions during the expedition. 



Place. 



Coast region — 
Copper River region 
Yukon River region. 




Table IV.- 


-Comparative 


rainfall and relative humidity, 1884 


* 


Place. 


Total annual 
precipitation. 


Mean annual 
humidity. 


Sitka «... - • 


Inches. 
110.94 
155.29 
15.50 


74.4 




80.6 


Fort Saint Michael's 


88.4 




53.9 









* From meteorological records in the office of the Chief Signal Officer, Washington, D. C. 
t Mean of observations taken while the Alaskan Exploring Expedition was ascending the valley in 
1885. 

Table V .—Observations taken at Nuklukyet.* 







h 


6 












. 


.a 






Jj 


Kind. 


i 


3 

I 


2 
1 

Em 


p 

i 


"5 
ft 
<! 




1 


>> 

1-5 


3 

BO 

3 


£ 
1 
CO 


0) 

o 
O 


a 
1 


1 

© 


Max. temperature . . 
/Max. temperature.. 
Min. temperature. . . 
Min. temperature. . . 


1882 
















79 


60 


52 


36 


30 


1883 


22 


37 


46 


51 


72 














1882 
















+30 


+23 


—21 


-30 


52 


1883 


—43 


—43 


—37 


—10 


+42 































* Compiled from records in the office of the Chief Signal Officer, Washington, D. C. 

The greatest degree of cold ever known in the Territory was 70° below zero, of Fahrenheit; but 
such cold is very rare.— D all. 

At Fort Yukon I have seen the thermometer at noon, not in the direct rays of the sun, standing 
at 112°, and I was informed by the commander of the post that several spirit thermometers, grad- 
uated up to 120°, had burst under the scorching sun of the Arctic midsummer.— Dall. 





Table VI. 


—Mean temperatures 


# 




Seasons. 


Saint Michael's, 
lat. 63° 28' N. 


Nul&to, 
lat. 64° 40' N. 


Fort Yukon, 
lat. 66° 34' N. 




+24.3 

53 

26 
+ 8 


+23.9 

60 
+36 
—14 


+14.2 




59.7 




+17.4 




—23.8 







* Compiled from records in the office of the Chief Signal Officer, Washington, D. C. 

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

FRED W. FICKETT, B. S., 

Private Signal Corps U. S. A, 
Lieut. Ho T. Allen, 

Commanding Alaskan Expedition of 1885: 



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Li 



7* 



/ I 

OWING- TI^E EXtfL 



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5QMMJ 



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J\ yw G. x ^ « greater part of tJie Coppjer > J.ana 
of I the party. Chart! No. 9E0, U.fSCoash a'r\3. Grco 
tp most of the YixjtoTi J^ive-r, rshicfi is from t 
\d the ZFrio.la.'kZih llt-iver, which. islf'Torn the f 

I I 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




I III I III III II I 

017 167 704 A 



